Lovebeans: Community and Coffee in The Woodlands, Texas
Some agents suggest baking a batch of cookies before an open house to create a welcoming scent. Beth Ferester built a bakery-café next door to her office to create a similar effect — and to celebrate the community she loves.
With three decades of experience, Beth Ferester was already a longtime presence in Houston-area real estate when she opened her own brokerage, Corcoran Ferester Realty, at Crossroads Square in The Woodlands’ Creekside neighborhood. When an adjacent storefront became available shortly thereafter — the only vacancy on her side of the courtyard — it felt like a natural opportunity to create something that would strengthen her ties with the community, with the added bonus of giving the real estate office a delicious signature fragrance. And so, in November 2019, Beth took a leap and opened Lovebeans Coffeehouse.
Lovebeans is first and foremost a give-back endeavor, donating a portion of its revenue to a different local charity each month. Since 2019, they’ve helped organizations like Angel Reach, a nonprofit that helps young adults who have aged out of the foster care system; Camp Hope, a residential program for veterans suffering from PTSD; Interfaith of The Woodlands; the Montgomery County Food Bank; and Best Friends Houston, which supports the adoption of shelter dogs and cats. The café has also helped area service groups collect school supplies, food, and holiday toys for local families in need.
“We’ve learned a lot about outlets for helping people in The Woodlands that we didn’t know about before,” said Ferester. “We’re always meeting people from charities we support.”
These organizations are also featured at Lovebeans’ monthly outdoor market — an event for local makers, with all the table rental fees going entirely to charity — which helps increase exposure for the great causes and resources sponsored by Lovebeans.
“We’ve learned a lot about outlets for helping people in The Woodlands that we didn’t know about before.”
The coffeehouse has developed a loyal following for its flavorful brews and treats, and rightfully so. Almost everything here is made from scratch, even the pumpkin spice syrup that flavors everyone’s favorite fall lattes. The house brew is a proprietary blend, specially roasted for Lovebeans by Geva Coffee. Espresso beans are sourced from Amaya Coffee in Houston.
Two of the best-sellers? The chicken salad, made from an original Ferester family recipe, and the chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies. “You can get the chicken salad in a wrap, in an avocado, or in a bowl, and I get it almost every day. One week, I thought I was going to turn into chicken salad because I’d eaten it so often,” joked Ferester.
The chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies were developed by her son Ryan, who was also the force behind the original Lovebeans name, using it for a vegan fudge spread he developed in Costa Rica. “The cookies are vegan and gluten-free, and people may shy away when they hear that, but once you try it, you’ll be amazed,” Ferester remarked. “I’ll tell you just one secret ingredient: tofu.”
She adds that an unexpected perk of starting Lovebeans is that it has helped her to stay in touch with clients that she might not normally see, saying, “A lot of our past clients will stop by the coffeehouse and it’s great to catch up with them there.”
