After three years of serving up One Line and Stumptown coffees, The Roosevelt Coffeehouse will soon offer a brand of its own. The coffee shop and nonprofit social enterprise, which first opened Downtown on Long Street back in 2015, will add a roasting facility in Franklinton this summer, located at 567 W. Broad St.
Right next door to Defining Skin Tattoo, Roosevelt’s roasting facility will occupy 1,500 square feet of warehouse space at the back of a 6,000 square foot building (the other tenant is unknown). At least for the time being, the space will be dedicated to production and distribution, though Roosevelt founder Kenny Sipes said there’s the potential for more. Conveniently, their location puts them near Defining Skin’s new bar and event space, where Sipes hopes to host some collaborative events.
When Roosevelt first opened, the idea of roasting was a bit too much for the new business, because to Sipes, roasting felt like another business altogether — “and it is,” he said. “We didn’t want to stretch ourselves too thin at the time.” Instead, they partnered with a local roaster, One Line Coffee, and another Portland-based roaster, Stumptown.
Roughly a year and a half ago, though, Sipes and lead roaster Frank Wright began experiencing roasting firsthand, seeking out educational classes and spending a combined 160 hours in intensive roaster training though the Roasters Guild of America in Chicago. With that know-how, they then approached MBA students at Otterbein to assemble a business plan and vision for the roasting facility and began the search for investors.
The roasting will begin this summer, and Sipes said they’re already in wholesaling conversations with coffee shops, educational institutions and corporations. As for The Roosevelt Coffeehouse itself, One Line Coffee and Stumptown may disappear from the menu, with Stumptown’s Hair Bender espresso being the last to go once a similar taste and quality is achieved by Roosevelt roasters.
Roosevelt’s new roasting venture will undoubtedly support their philanthropic giving, which to date has totaled nearly $80,000. Over the last three years, those funds have gone to organizations that are fighting hunger, unclean water and human trafficking locally and globally.
“Those specifics include Faith Mission meals, green houses in Peru, safe houses in Uganda, trauma therapy counseling for human trafficking victims both here and abroad,” Sipes said. “This is why we are humbled every day to open our doors to the city who stands with us.”
For more information, visit rooseveltcoffee.org.
