Celtic Cottage serves simple drinks made for slow sipping

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

June 15, 2026

SOBIESKI – Third time’s a charm for Owner Holly Shepard’s tea and coffee shop, Celtic Cottage, now serving customers at its new location in Sobieski.

Prior to its May 1 opening at 6080 County Road S, Shepard said she had opened and subsequently moved Celtic Cottage two other times.

“The first one was downtown Green Bay, where I had the space for [some] kind of community and sold the tea – I didn’t make it,” she said. “The second time was in De Pere, and it was a tea shop. I actually steeped the tea and served it at that location, then this [Sobieski building] became available. I was able to talk with the owners [and come to] a lease agreement.”

At the previous De Pere location, Shepard said she had access to limited infrastructure, making it difficult to offer anything other than tea.

“In my current spot in Sobieski, I now have the capability of the [building’s] plumbing, which was restricted in the last place,” she said. “Now, I have the [opportunity] to add an espresso machine and the needed things for the coffee shop. I’m super excited to have this all come together.”

In its initial weeks of operation, Shepard said customers’ response to the new shop has “been amazing.”

“I’m still getting used to the routine of having everything on supply,” she said. “It was funny: one day I ran out of espresso beans, and I had to run to my roaster – which is Coffee Wizardz in Allouez – to pick up more beans to make sure I could get through the day – and that was the second day of opening.”

Slow enjoyment

Shepard said Celtic Cottage’s first location opened roughly one month before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was in that space for three years, and then in De Pere for probably three years,” she said. “The vision was that [Celtic Cottage] would someday have its own location and not be in a strip mall, so I believe this [Sobieski location] is a good landing spot for it.”

Shepard said the County Road S building offered good bones and “vibed with the eclectic nature” of her shop furniture.

“I use antique furniture,” she said. “I have an electric fireplace, [and] I definitely try to bring the pub-type feel for coffee into that space.”

Though her family has some Irish heritage, Shepard said her overall goal in naming the shop Celtic Cottage was to demonstrate the energy of her business.

“Part of it was, for me, this feels good,” she said. “I wanted a space where people could come in and feel comfortable – [maybe] not transported, but at least walking in, you feel like you want to sit, be there for a bit, relax or take a load off.”

Shepard said she considers Celtic Cottage a “destination” shop – prioritizing the slow enjoyment of its offerings and surrounding environment.

“I don’t have [a] real fast vibe in there, I don’t have a lot of choices for my syrups [and] I make all my own syrups,” she said, “[but] I do specials.”

Outside of her rotating specials, Shepard said she tries to keep options minimal so as to not overwhelm her customers – or herself, for that matter.

“I have one size, [and] I use either oat milk or whole milk,” she said. “It helps create that relaxed atmosphere where you get your product [or] your drink [made] the best way we can – a simplistic way. I think our life, in general, is way too busy, so this gives that [feeling of], ‘I can just slow down.’”

Shepard said her children have also played fundamental roles in the success of Celtic Cottage’s first independent location.

“My daughter has been an integral part of starting this [business],” she said. “She’s been really helpful, especially with social media.”

Shepard said her twin sons have also become mainstay employees.

“My twin boys who are 14 [years old] also help me in the shop, and most Saturdays, it’s them  [and me] making coffee and tea for everybody,” she said. “So, that’s a cool thing for me to have my kids in there.”

Inspirational wellness

Though she has worked as an alcohol and drug counselor for the last two decades, Shepard said she has always been a “visionary” outside of her profession.

“I have 1,000 ideas all the time going around in my head,” she said. 

Drawing on her professional experience, Shepard said each time she’s opened Celtic Cottage, the goal has been to facilitate a space where people can “find belonging or a space where they can be themselves.”

“Then, the tea itself is inspirational,” she said. “It’s called Magic Hour.”

Based out of Ohio, California, per clubmagichour.com, each loose leaf tea blend is personally crafted by Founder, Zhena Muzyka – sourcing crops directly from farmers to ensure they “receive a fair price for their teas and botanicals.”

“It’s so fresh and organic,” Shepard said. “For instance, the matcha tea she has is sourced from a location where there’s volcanic activity… So, because of the ground and the nutrients, it doesn’t have that grassy taste that most matcha does.”

Exploring holistic ways to better her own health, Shepard said, is how she discovered Magic Hour and her passion for tea.

“I think that, as individuals, if we can reconnect with ourselves – mind, body and spirit – we can listen to our body as it’s whispering, instead of waiting until it’s yelling at us,” she said. “With tea, you can drink these plants and essential ingredients to help our body do what it’s supposed to do: help detox our system or help our nervous system stay regulated.”

Though her interests are heavily steeped in tea, Shepard said she’s not one to force her tastes onto her customers who prefer coffee.

“I’m promoting tea if they have questions, but I’m not standing out front with a billboard saying, ‘Hey, you need to try this tea,’” she said. “[Coffee] has really expanded what I can do for the community as a whole.”

Regardless of what her customers order, Shepard said they can rest assured every product is made simple with wellness top of mind.

“That inspires me,” she said. “If we look at health consciousness…, a huge part of it is making sure we are paying attention to what we’re ingesting – to what we’re giving ourselves – because we only have one physical body. So, how are we going to hold ourselves more accountable to doing the right thing by it?”

For hours and more, visit the Celtic Cottage’s Facebook page.