How Snowy Owl Brought Flavor To Coffee On Cape

Shayna Ferullo didn’t start drinking coffee until her senior year at Boston College, but her memories of coffee date back to her childhood. 

“My grandmother was a typical Italian grandmother who was always doing percolator coffee on the stove,” she said. 

Now, almost 10 years after opening Snowy Owl’s flagship location in Brewster with her husband, Manuel Ainzuain, coffee isn’t just her job, it’s her lifeline to the community. 

This month, the lease is up for Snowy Owl’s Brewster coffee house, and with uncertainty looming, Ferullo is more sure than ever that staying in Brewster is her number one priority. 

“Brewster is a huge part of our founding. A huge part of our spirit. The community here is incredible,” she said. “The schools, the police officers, the firemen, everyone that runs a business…I mean, we just feel so much a part of this community that we’ll do everything we can to stay here.” 

She and Ainzuain are still in talks with their landlord, Stephan Brown. The couple and co-owners are also exploring all opportunities around Brewster to make sure they secure a spot with longevity.  

“We feel very confident that one of two opportunities, whether it’s here or somewhere else [in town], will pan out, and we’ll be announcing something in 2025,” said Ferullo. 

 Snowy Owl has been open for almost a decade, but the venture started way before Ferullo and Ainzuain opened their doors in 2015. 

After graduating from Tufts University with a master’s degree in law and diplomacy in 2007, Ferullo received a job offer that led her to the west coast, specifically San Francisco. New to the area and with four years of coffee drinking under her belt, she found a home in west coast coffee shops like Blue Bottle, Ritual Coffee and Four Barrel Coffee. They also provided the backdrop for the beginning of Ferullo and Ainzuain’s relationship, which began in San Francisco. 

Ainzuain grew up in Lima, Peru and graduated from the Universidad de San Martín de Porres with a bachelor’s degree in science and law. He worked for the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property in Peru, which bears a resemblance to the U.S. Consumer Protection Agency. He found a passion for imports and exports and took a graduate course on international commerce and business development. 

Ferullo grew up in Northborough but visited Cape Cod often. Her grandparents lived on the Cape, raising her mom here. 

Moving to the area fulltime felt like the perfect next step. Ferullo had already lived in Boston during her college years and had an existing network on Cape Cod that made her feel at home. She craved the waves and the outdoors, spending a lot of her time in the water surfing. After leaving San Francisco, Ainzuain was looking for a way to harness this passion and keep his connection to Peru strong. He was ready to make an impact with his experience as an importer and wholesaler. 

After years of talking about their entrepreneurial dream, Snowy Owl was born — a new concept for Cape Cod that focused on coffee bean quality, roasting education and consumer transparency. 

After stumbling upon the Brewster location, their plans for the property shifted. They had originally looked to find a space just for roasting and planned to sell the coffee wholesale. Brown already had a cafe up and running, so in a serendipitous twist of fate, they decided to open their doors to the public and take advantage of the space. 

In the early years, they relied heavily on the surrounding community. It started as a grab-and-go space until they were able to get their seating permit. The cafe wasn’t completely outfitted with the necessary equipment or front-of-house furniture, but that soon changed.

“We had people that just showed up with old, cool pieces of furniture and said, ‘when you're ready, we think this will fit in the space,” said Ferullo. 

It was a mutual connection between Ferullo, Ainzuain and the community. Snowy Owl opened Labor Day weekend 2015, after the summer rush, and has stayed open year-round ever since. 

“I feel like from day one, we just had this buy-in from the community and this generosity of ‘let us help you build this because this is for us,” said Ferullo. “I think [opening on Labor Day] sent this message, we're here for you.” 

Ferullo loved the idea of mindful consumerism making direct change overseas, especially in the world of coffee supply chains. Her goal was to always remain transparent with their roasting process and show how impactful it can be to import from environmentally-sustainable farmers. 

They made the choice early on to purchase quality beans and highlight their flavors rather than relying on dark roasting to hide underlying notes. The partnerships they’ve created with importers has determined the quality of their product. “We’ve got some really good partners that have done it right,” she said. 

It’s clear their success comes from a number of factors: product quality, commitment to their community and a very supportive family. Many members of their families have played a part in making Snowy Owl a household name locally. From financial investments to babysitting Ferullo and Ainzuain’s two children, their families have always been a helping hand. 

“Any Facebook album they post of their vacations, like 75 percent of their shirts are Snowy Owl,” Ferullo said with a laugh. 

The name Snowy Owl actually comes from a very meaningful story about Ainzuain’s father. To read it in their own words, visit their website, socoffee.co. 

Snowy Owl has a coffee house in Brewster, a roastery in Sandwich and an espresso bar in Chatham.