Successful CIU and Ben Lippen alumni combine on new enterprise

Successful CIU and Ben Lippen alumni combine on new enterprise

Indah Coffee in Columbia's Arcade Building
Indah Coffee

Indah Coffee is located in downtown Columbia in the historic Arcade Building

The businesses of a Columbia International University alumni couple and a Ben Lippen School alumnus have combined to bring “South Carolina’s Best Coffee” to a second Columbia location.

Nick and Stephanie Hauser, owners of Indah Coffee, expanded their operation to downtown Columbia using the services of Ben Lippen School alumnus and woodworker Josh Cox, owner of Bricker & Beam who constructed the shop’s bar.

Ben Lippen School is a Pre-K to 12th grade Christian school ministry of CIU.

The Hausers opened their first coffee shop in the trendy Cottontown neighborhood of Columbia over a year ago. The new location is on Columbia’s Main Street in the historic Arcade Building. They first began selling coffee at a downtown farmer’s market in 2010.

In March, Indah Coffee was named the best coffee in South Carolina by Food & Wine magazine.

Bricker & Beam is a custom furniture business specializing in contemporary furniture and design. Each piece is meticulously made to order by hand, using local and sustainably sourced materials. While serving Southeastern cities such as Charleston, Charlotte and Atlanta, they also ship furniture nationwide.

Other Columbia area CIU alumni with successful coffee businesses include Beach Loveland, owner of Loveland Coffee and Grace Coffee Company, owned by Matt and Brooke Beyer. One of their locations is in CIU’s Rossi Student Center.  

It seems these CIU entrepreneurs are on the cusp of a coffee trend according to inc.com.

Excitement is building on the CIU campus with a dramatic increase in enrollment and on-campus renovations. Information on enrollment is available here or call (800) 777-2227, ext. 5024.