MONROE, Ohio — Four local volunteer firefighters and service personnel have teamed up to open Coffee By Inferno in Monroe. They also share a companion business, Victory Lane Pizza.
Two couples who reside in the German Twp./Gratis area serve as the co-owners: David and Sarah Terrell and Jeff and Melissa King.
“All four of us are local first-responders here. That’s how we got to know each other,” said Sarah Terrell. “We all met because we all are volunteer firefighters at the fire department where we live. The name Coffee By Inferno is a play on that.”
The friends and fellow volunteers met a decade ago. They serve as volunteer firefighters at Shawnee Fire District.
By day, they also work full time. Melissa is a physician, Sarah is a registered nurse, David is a firefighter/EMS and Jeff is a police officer.
“We have always had a knack for community service in all of our lines of work, and in our volunteer roles, and it was just an opportunity that presented itself. The four of us have learned to play on each other’s strengths, so we decided to go into business together,” Terrell said.
Victory Lane Pizza is next door at 638 S. Main St., and the two businesses are connected. Victory Lane Pizza is open 4-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday The foursome took over Victory Lane Pizza in February 2023. The business also has a food truck that’s active in the summer months.
“We bought Victory Lane Pizza, and we wanted to open a coffee shop in Monroe, so we were playing around with how we could give a little nod to our fire service, and still be a bit discrete with it, so we came up with Inferno, and instead of trying to rebrand Victory Lane Pizza since it’s been in the community for so many years, we decided to use the name to open a new business next door, and that’s how we came up with Coffee By Inferno. It’s a subtle nod to the fire service we all have in common,” Sarah Terrell said.
She said being a nurse, and in first-responder careers in general, coffee is something these professionals fall back on as a necessity.
“We wanted to create a welcoming vibe in Monroe, because we are on the older side of Monroe, and we just appreciate the community there. We found a local roaster, Yield Coffee Roasters, in Monroe, and we really wanted to highlight other small businesses, too. So, it felt like everything lined up well. They roast our beans every week, a couple blocks from our coffee shop,” she said.
She said the business has given them an opportunity to bring “a little bit of positivity to people, because life is just a little hard in general, sometimes.”
“On every coffee cup, we write a positive message, to bring a smile to people, no matter where they are in their day, it’s going, just to bring that smile, inspiration, and happy time in their day,” said Terrell.
Messages say things like “Believe you can and you’re halfway there,” “You are loved,” and “You’re sunshine on a cloudy day.”
Drinks on the winter menu include a Gingerbread Dirty Coke, Candy Cane Mocha, Frosted Oatmeal Cookie Latte, and Hazelnut Praline Latte, to name a few.
The shop opened in February 2024. Coffee By Inferno is located at 640 S. Main St.. The hours are 6 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more info., call (513) 360-7335, or visit www.facebook.com/coffeebyinferno.
Coffee By Inferno has created a program to offer coffee deliveries to local educators and teachers in Monroe and Lakota.
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