Jake's Java Celebrates One Year
Jake's Java services Jake Galliher's favorite coffee -- an iced caramel macchiato.
"It's been really great. It's been incredibly emotional. It feels like a community hug. Being able to talk about the boys and have a legacy and memory for each and every one of them is really an amazing part of Jake's Java world here," owner Kim Krautter said.
Krautter said she wants people to see the coffeeshop as a place of love and fun. It was opened last year in honor of her son, Jacob Galliher, who lost his life during an Air Force exercise in 2023. He'd talked with his family about opening a coffeeshop — similar to the one where he met his wife, Ivy — when he got out of the service.
She opened Jake's Java in his honor last June and the day was a memorial not only the late staff sergeant but also to the seven other crewman on his Osprey, which was operating with the call sign Gundam 22.
"Jake's Java is a place of love and community and positivity. It's a place where I would like to see the growth being everyone comfortable coming here, whether it's a little one running through a sprinkler or a senior playing croquet. Jake was often pulling people together, of all dynamics around the community, and I want to continue that," Krautter said.
"I also have been venturing outside these walls a little bit and doing a little bit of catering. I've done some graduation parties with charcuterie boards providing like a continental breakfast for weddings this summer. And we have other ideas of growth too and to be continued on that part."
The coffeeshop has had some challenges during the winter season but is pulling out of it with the better weather.
"Being in hospitality in the Berkshires, as I've been for over 20 years. I know that winters can be really tough in the Berkshires for any type of hospitality," Krautter said. "We have the drive-through and the picnic tables, but we don't have indoor seating, so the winter was long, and then came May, and everything opened back up. We're seeing the tourists, we're seeing the community come back out, and a lot of familiar faces and people that are connected to Jacob coming."
During its anniversary in June, Jake's Java dedicated a bench painted by a local artist to Marine Capt. Ross Reynolds, a Leominster native.
"He was a Marine who lost his life also in an Osprey mishap in March of 22. Ross' family and I became connected through Military for Friends Foundation, and it felt fitting to celebrate Ross' life and dedicate something to him on our one year anniversary," she said.
Krautter says she wants Jake's Java to have an impact on this community by honoring Jake and other service members because it's important to always speak their names and listen to their stories.
"For me, for people to never forget my son, Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher, there's something to be said about saying their names every day and talking about them every day, that their legacy will continue and their memories will always be here," she said. "Jacob was incredible. He was 24 years old. Accomplished a lot in his lifetime with he was an airborne linguist who spoke Mandarin. He had two children, and I quickly learned that all eight of Gundam 22 have a very similar story, and making sure that we're able to share that and talk about each one of them every day."
Among the coffeeshop's popular drinks are cold brew and auto drip. Krautter said the baristas love to have fun with the drinks.
"Our cold brew is the best. I often hear that you can't go wrong with the auto drip either with Jake's Java. When we go away, we have to bring it with us, because we're spoiled now, our baristas have a lot of fun with making different lattes and different flavored drinks," she said. "We had some Girl Scout drinks that they were doing that was a fan favorite, and Jacob's favorite was a caramel macchiato. So that is right up there as well."
Krautter also says some of their breakfast items are favorites as well, especially the pulled pork.
"Our bagels do come from a New York bakery, so they're baked in New York and delivered every morning. So I really do love our bagels. A highlight that people often come for are our apple fritters and our Cinnabons. Pulled pork is another big one. People love the pulled pork breakfast sandwich."
She hopes to expand the coffee line as well as bring Jake's Java to more communities, including "J-cups," the Jake's version of K-cups.
"I'll wait and give you the name at a later date, but it will honor all eight Gundam 22 heroes, and it's something we're hoping to get going at a large production scale and hopefully go national with it," she said. "I'm also looking into the possibility of a food truck. I would love nothing more than to have a Gundam 22 food truck that we can travel to different bases and get out into broader than Berkshire County."
Krautter would love to see Jake's grow and to educate about military sacrfice and Gundam 22's legacy, pointing how it grew the connection with Reynolds and his family.
Jake's Java is located 20 Williamstown Road with summer hours from 7 to 2 daily. Breakfast is served all day.
Tags: anniversary, coffeeshop,
