Ever wonder why your favorite barista isn’t at the Armory? We wrote up this post to share with you what we’ve been up to! The past few months have been very productive for us. From moving our production site to signing a lease on a new cafe, we are working diligently to pursue growth in order to better serve each of you this year.
We signed a lease and began a build-out for our new cafe on Pine St.
Throughout the past four years we have surveyed the many potential buildings in downtown Muskegon. As many of you have heard, we are working towards opening our second location on Pine Street downtown Muskegon! We launched a crowdfunding campaign because we want to include our community in this project in every way. Contributing to the campaign is one of the best ways, but we are also looking for volunteers to work on the space as it continues to move forward. We chose Muskegon because after years at the Farmer’s Market and building relationships within the community, we wanted to build a brick and mortar for everyone to enjoy year round. (Read our blog post about how to donate here!)
Jeremy met with coffee farmers in Tanzania.
Jeremy has always been drawn to Tanzania, so when we met Mary, of Live Dunia, last year we knew the partnership had great potential. We want to expand our coffee offerings, as well as develop more relationships around the world. This trip held many significant moments that Jeremy will elaborate on in later posts.
We moved our production space to a permanent location in Muskegon Heights.
We are passionate about the development happening in Muskegon Heights. When former City Manager Jake Eckholm approached us, we knew we wanted to take part. We started our roastery in the old Scott Meats building while we continued to search for the perfect location within the city limits. This winter, we came across the Potter’s Lighting building and it was a perfect fit. Our team and many of our friends and family assisted in making this become a reality. The building will house our roasting, food preparation, syrup, chai and cold brew productions. By having our own building, we can more effectively serve you with quality products.
We started baking our own items!
One of our bakery partners, Elegance of the Seasons, retired this winter. Because we were sourcing muffins & caramel bars from them for the past few years, this felt like the perfect time to start producing our own baked goods. Angie & Elly hit the ground running to develop recipes that are a perfect fit for our cafe at the Armory. This is only the beginning of the food offerings we are hoping to create this year. (Pictured: Muffins & Shortbread Cookies by Aldea, Cookies & Scones by Laughing Tree, Allergen Friendly Cookies by Kind Crumbs)
