Three Birds Cafe (Website) will open a new express location this summer at the new Crooked Can Brewing Company (Website) development in Minneola after losing its downtown Winter Garden location in February.
Owner Ashley Morton announced the move on February 27, the day the cafe closed its Plant Street location. We told you last week that the building was sold in December for $2.2 million to an entity tied to mysterious pharmaceutical executive James Larweth, who then had his people send a letter to Morton saying her lease would not be renewed, despite assurances from the previous landlord that everything would be fine.
Three Birds Cafe was among several downtown Winter Garden businesses that lost their spaces after Larweth purchased at least nine commercial buildings in the downtown area over the past year. Sale prices ranged from $1.8 million to $10.3 million for the historic Edgewater Hotel.
Three Birds Express will be one of 11 vendors in the food hall at the 42,000 SF Crooked Can facility at Hills City Center (Website) in Minneola, once it opens in April 2026. According to the post, embedded below, it will feature at least 10 menu items ranging from soup and salads to sandwiches, “of course, the spicy chicken,” and a full coffee, juice, and pastry bar.
“We are thrilled to announce that we have found a new home at the new Crooked Can in Minneola, opening this summer,” Three Birds posted on its website. The cafe is also searching for another full cafe location.
The Minneola Crooked Can is being built on three acres at North Hancock Road near the Florida Turnpike. Once open, the facility will feature a brewery, canning facility, 2,000 SF taproom, a food hall, a live music venue, and an outdoor beer garden. Crooked Can founder Andy Sheeter and managing partner Alan Delahunt designed the space as a destination brewery four times the size of the original Winter Garden location at Plant Street Market.
Crooked Can broke ground on the Minneola project in April 2025. The facility will serve as the brewery’s main production site and will have at least 24 beers on tap in the taproom, including seasonal offerings. The menu will also include wine, sake, ciders, and other alcoholic drinks.
Hills City Center is a 96-acre mixed-use development that includes 1,000 multi-family apartment units, senior living, a shopping center, medical offices, wilderness trails, and community areas.
The Winter Garden Crooked Can location at Plant Street Market will remain open.
Three Birds will operate a mobile coffee cart available for private parties, weddings, corporate events, and special gatherings during the transition. Morton has not announced an opening date for the Minneola location beyond summer 2026.
