COEUR D’ALENE — Coffee lovers seeking an unusual experience can now sip Brazilian-inspired beverages while spending time with capybaras at a new café just outside downtown Coeur d’Alene.
Capy Hour Café opens its doors Friday and offers customers 30- and 45-minute sessions to interact with what many consider the world’s happiest animals. The business combines a coffee shop atmosphere with the opportunity to feed and socialize with the large South American rodents.
“We want people to come in here, relax, and really get a feel for the capys and the whole café experience of it all,” Ginger Harris said. She and her son, Jace, developed the idea over the last six weeks. The family has spent weeks developing the concept, which has generated excitement in the community.
“We just listened to our community, and they said they wanted a unique experience,” Jace Harris said.
The café creates what the owners believe is a rare offering in the United States that cannot be found anywhere else in the region.
Guests book timed sessions that include selecting drinks from a Brazilian-inspired menu and receiving feeding cups to interact with the capybaras. The café’s current capybaras are still babies, meaning they could grow to more than quadruple their current size over the coming years.
“We really get to enjoy the time we get to spend with them while they are little, and learn their personalities. It is incredible,” Ginger Harris said.
The Harris family said they are still working on naming the capybaras. Capy Hour Café operates Friday through Monday. The owners recommend booking appointments in advance as sessions are filling up quickly following their opening.
You can make reservations here.
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