Crazy Mocha’s Journey to Becoming a Montclair Staple

Crazy Mocha, Located on Bloomfield Ave. // Photo Courtesy of Lila Taylor

Since 2016, Crazy Mocha has served as a coffee, work, and study hotspot for the Montclair community. Located on the corner of North Fullerton and Bloomfield Ave, with large tables and comfortable couches, this spot quickly became a favorite among Montclair residents, to work, socialize, or more often, a bit of both. Now, the Montclair branch has become an established coffee shop and is fitting in seamlessly with the community.

The Montclair Dispatch had the pleasure of speaking with Ed Wethli and Jennifer Allison, the owners of the Crazy Mocha franchise, about the relationship between their Pittsburgh-based coffee company and the town of Montclair. 

Initially, Ed and Jennifer served as roasters for Crazy Mocha and decided to buy the business in March of 2018, after the Montclair branch, the first location outside of Pittsburgh,  had been established. The company had been looking to expand to the New York-Metropolitan area, and Montclair seemed like a perfect fit! After many visits, Ed and Jennifer found that Montclair had many similar qualities to Pittsburgh, with walkable, urban neighborhoods. Due to Crazy Mocha’s success in Montclair, there are strong possibilities of further expansion in the New York-Metro area. According to Ed, recently, they have been “refreshing the menu, adding sandwiches and breakfast food.” Since Jennifer and Ed have come on as Crazy Mocha’s owners, they have both seen a tremendous amount of growth in the Montclair location. 

With 25 locations in Pittsburgh, Ed and Jennifer have made concentrated efforts to make Crazy Mocha part of the Montclair community, having senior management make frequent trips to the branch. 

Jennifer and Ed thoroughly enjoy owning a business in Montclair. Ed explained that they have a great relationship with their landlord, who is very supportive of their business. Jennifer added that due to their Bloomfield Ave. location, their vibrant customer base is continuously out and about. Jennifer continued, saying that they “love the community, the great people, and the new ideas and concepts that Montclair has to offer.”

The author of the article is a Montclair native class of 2017, currently a student at McGill University, studying history and communications within the Faculty of Arts.

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