Two years ago a fire demolished Comox Valley鈥檚 oldest coffee shop, Grind Coffee Shop but a new coffee place has since taken over the space. Located at the corner of Church Street and Beaufort Avenue in Comox, Impresso can now be found.

The Ievgrashyn family, immigrants from Ukraine, came to Qualicum Beach over 13 years ago and fell in love with Grind Coffee Shop in the Comox Valley. They had no experience with running a coffee shop but when they saw the For Lease sign in the window of the former Grind Coffee Shop window, they decided to take a chance. 

The family worked closely with the former Grind Coffee Shop owner, Tanya Archambault and her husband Tod, to renovate the space. While father Peter and eldest son Vlad worked on refurbishing the space, younger son Dima learned how to make various coffee drinks that the new shop would serve. 

鈥淚t was all or nothing and our family put everything we owned into making this endeavour work,鈥� said Vlad Ievgrashyn.

Impresso opened in late May and since then has attracted both old customers and new with their coffee, pastries and locally sourced products. Impresso uses Creekmore coffee which is roasted in Qualicum Beach. 

鈥淭his coffee shop is the culmination of our time in Canada and we are so happy that it is doing well and that our customers appear to be liking us. We鈥檙e excited that we are keeping the coffee shop legacy alive in Comox, and our aim is to be the best in the Valley,鈥� said Ievgrashyn.