The STORY

Since the 1980s when Ben and Sarah Sanders met as students at ASU, they desired to see a Christian community center near campus. They envisioned a facility that would become a hub for students, with a coffeehouse and other rooms to study and gather. In 2012 part of that desire came to life, when the Campus Christian Center (C3) opened on Mill Avenue, right across from ASU’s Tempe campus. Although Ben and Sarah had not forgotten their dream for a coffeehouse, they needed someone to spearhead the endeavor. Meanwhile, Amie Pierone was becoming disillusioned with her corporate management job. She herself had dreamt of opening a coffeehouse near a university for many years, with the primary goal of creating a welcoming, homey place for students. She knew of C3 from her grad school days at ASU, and showed up there one hot summer day in 2021. Knowing nothing of Ben and Sarah’s desire for a coffeehouse, Amie shared her vision. All parties were in awe at the synchronization of dreams, and recognized the hand of God in their encounter. Amie left her corporate job shortly thereafter, and we are now in the development stages of Eden Tea & Coffee House. 

The VISION

To us, “Eden” conjures an image of a place full of vibrant life where togetherness, connection and relationships are fostered. In fact, Eden is described in Isaiah as “a place filled with exuberance and laughter, thankful voices and melodic songs” (Isaiah 51:3 MSG). Our vision is that Eden Tea & Coffee House will become a place that students intentionally seek out, not only for amazing coffee and delicious pastries, but because they know they will be welcomed and loved, regardless of their faith. Utilizing the historic C3 Hiebert House as the setting, we will seek to make Eden truly a home. And you just never know, you may hear a barista singing from time to time.