Our Story

Est. March 2018

It starts with a dream…

The Ironworks Cafe is the cumulation of a lifelong love of coffee. From traveling around the world to find the perfect roast to visiting coffee plantations and learning about the process from bean to cup, my love for coffee knows no bounds.

From a young age I dreamt of owning and operating a cafe for people to meet and mingle, gossip and laugh over a hot cup of coffee. Today that dream has come true and I present my little slice of heaven to all my new friends.

Meet Dina Stuehler

  • Where did you grow up?
    I grew up in Hamilton, Ontario. As a kid I had a blast, lots of friends and family and a whole city to explore. I always loved finding new spots to enjoy and as I got older my hang outs went from the outdoors to the cafes. Our family moved to Vancouver Island when I was 17 years old, it was quite the change but I can’t imagine a better place to live.
  • Career History
    Just like a lot of young people I didn’t know what to do with myself after high school, I tried this and that…. until I had a unique opportunity to go to Cruise Ships….. queue travelling the world for the next 8 years. I loved it. I worked a few positions, Associate Art Auctioneer, Cruise Sales Manager & Loyalty Ambassador and finally a Travel Jewelry Consultant.
  • Passion for Food & Coffee
    Well I’d say only that I grew up in a Dutch household and crepes were always paramount in my diet ….LOL….. and coffee of course. Traveling only made that stronger.
  • Community Involvement
    I take part in a few projects outside of my business, I’m part of the Duncan Business Association, the Ladysmith Business Association, I assist with WorkBC on occasion with new budding entrepreneurs and I have my own program to help young women achieve their goals. There are a few other things I’m involved with as well to keep me busy. I love all of it.
  • Hobbies
    I love hiking, boating, crepes, traveling, coming up with new business ideas!! Discovering new places, hot yoga, fitness and just spending time with my loved ones.

Our Mission

The three most important aspects of our cafe is great food, great coffee and environmental responsibility. These points spark our passion to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for you, our guests, to relax and enjoy in. We are excited to welcome you to our cafe.

Delectable Belgian Crepes

We feature a delicious array of Belgian crepes with the traditional Belgian batter, a buckwheat gluten-free batter, a soy based vegan batter and now a KETO batter. Each day showcases a new and unique special of the day either sweet or savoury to keep things interesting.

Incredible Coffee

The Ironworks Cafe provides their guests with a deep rich coffee provided by Caffè Umbria. Caffè Umbria captures the true essence of Italian-style espresso and coffee. Three generations of roasters means perfection in a cup.

A COMMITMENT to the environment

We strive to reduce our footprint on our green planet by ensuring we Reduce, Reuse and Recycle wherever we can. We provide all biodegradable and compostable plastics for all our coffee lids, cups and straws. This is something near and dear to our hearts.