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    Two Local Businesses Team Up to Open New Café in Franklinton

    A new partnership has formed between two Downtown neighbors. One Line Coffee, a roaster with roots in Heath, Ohio and cafés in the Short North and on Capitol Square, and MMELO, a boutique confectionary neighboring the North Market, are bringing a collaborative experience to Franklinton by next January.

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    One Line Coffee & MMELO will open on the corner of Rich and McDowell streets in the River & Rich development, currently under construction. Their 2,500 square foot store allows enough room for MMELO to have their own production space, a much-needed alternative to their shared kitchen at ECDI. That “maker space” will supply the café with MMELO’s unique confections, which include gourmet marshmmelos, teacakes and chocolates. But, MMELO co-owner Paul Freeth and OLC’s Managing Partner for Retail Mick Evans said the partnership will go beyond that and into exploratory recipes that use flavor profiles from both businesses.

    “For One Line, we’ve not really delved into confections and high end chocolates, and the mmelos, and all the wonderful things that MMELO specializes in. So, we see this as a new opportunity for us to introduce a new line of products that we’ve never carried before,” Evans said. “We want to do unique and creative twists on some of these items to not just have only expected, typical kind of fare”

    Typical café cuisine isn’t left off the menu entirely. Evans said it’ll feature the regulars: “croissants, scones, muffins, things like that.”

    Evans and Freeth both talked about the collaboration as an opportunity. One Line had been looking for a third location and had actually tossed around the idea of seeking out a food partner for it. From the jump, the plan was to have a production space used either by One Line bakers or another food vendor, which would supply the café with fresh-made goods daily. It was a chance Evans said they hadn’t yet gotten, “being able to produce products right there and then sell it in the same four walls.”

    Freeth said MMELO could now continue its evolution. Starting out in the ECDI kitchen worked for a while, but he and co-owner Michelle Allen were ready to move on.

    Related: ROY G BIV Gallery Relocating to Franklinton

    “In terms of the relationship it’s yin and yang,” Freeth said. “We’re delighted to team up with a company with the history and reputation that they have. It’s meaningful for us, and we’re grateful to have the opportunity of a longterm client that we can actually build and explore interesting experiences around.”

    Operationally, One Line Coffee & MMELO in Franklinton will function as one entity, although they’re separate companies. Guests will order from goods by MMELO and OLC from the same station.

    The new café is set for an opening in January, 2019.

    For more information, visit onelinecoffee.com and mmelo.co

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    Lauren Sega
    Lauren Segahttps://columbusunderground.com
    Lauren Sega is the former Associate Editor for Columbus Underground and a current freelance writer for CU. She covers political issues on the local and state levels, as well as local food and restaurant news. She grew up near Cleveland, graduated from Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism, and loves running, traveling and hiking.
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