"The first batch we sold was 8 ounces, in a paper bag with a hand-stamped label, to a friend who promised to be honest about it. She wasn't."
We started because we couldn't find a cup we liked in Duluth. Not because the shops here were bad — they were fine. It was because we'd both spent a few years in coffee elsewhere (Mara in Portland, Jess in Minneapolis) and we wanted that level of care, that close to the lake.
The first three years were the garage and a farmer's market table on Saturdays. The current café opened in 2017 with twelve seats. We've added six. We're not going to add many more.
What's changed: the equipment, the bag design, the number of espresso shots we pull in a day (about 600). What hasn't: the two people who touch every coffee from green bean to brewed cup.
Two roasters, fourteen baristas, one bar.
Twelve farms we know by name.
Come say hi.
We're at the bar most mornings. If you're new to specialty coffee, ask for a taste — we'll set up two side-by-side and walk you through what we're drinking.