Bears Mo’jo Coffee Co., the popular University of Northern Colorado coffee shop, will be shut down for at least the rest of the semester. However, during its hiatus, the shop is undergoing a branding change and is evolving from its original premise.
A few weeks ago, Bears Mo’jo Coffee Co. closed its location in the University Center. This was news for students who ventured into the the UC for the first time since spring, including UNC sophomore Harrison Kearns.
“I liked their coffee,” Kearns said. “They had some pretty good roasts.”
Bears Mo’jo was popular on campus for its coffee, but also its relationship with the University Program Council. Last year, during the UPC’s Open Mic Nights, punch cards were handed out to students. After a certain number of punches, the card could be redeemed for a coffee at Bears Mo’jo.
The coffee shop was also a convenient location for some students, sitting next to the exit doors towards the west side of campus. UNC senior Ace Spitzer made note of this, as the UC Food Court and Bears Bistro are close by.
“I liked that it was right there by the dining area,” Spitzer said.
Despite this development, there are some UNC students who aren’t really fazed by this change. Some students said there wasn’t much that made Bears Mo’jo stand out and they did not stop by very often. According to Hal Brown, the director of dining services at UNC, Bears Mo’jo is not permanently removed from the campus.
The Pie Cafe at Campus Commons will be UNC’s new coffee and pastry operation. The Pie Cafe will be in the same place Bears Mo’jo was, and will open when the University Center is fully transformed into the Campus Commons. This new operation will still sell coffee, while including more pastry options.
“Having Mo’jos there, it was a very popular location,” Brown said. “The change is mainly because of the number of coffee locations in the area.”
With Einstein Bros. Bagels carrying Caribou Coffee so close by, Brown said there needed to be an aspect to make the university’s coffee location stand out. Pie and coffee tend to go together and the pastries sold well at Bears Mo’jo, so the decision was made to enhance the baked goods section of the retail location. Signs at the former location say there will be meat pies, sweet pies, quiches, smoothies, juices, teas and more at the new Pie Cafe.
The temporary shutdown is for remodeling. This transformation of the cafe will make room for the ovens and other equipment necessary for making the pies and pastries.
New prices have not been set for The Pie Cafe, btu according to Brown, the cost will be in the same range as Bears Mo’jo. There are no further plans to add food locations at the University Center. The Pie Cafe is planning to open in spring of 2019.
