Sump Coffee is moving its roasting operations to Old North St. Louis

The new 15,000-square-foot warehouse space will feature a dedicated area to host weekly coffee programs

Sump Coffee is planning a move. The company is in the process of moving its roasting operations from its current location at 3700 S. Jefferson Ave. to the Old North neighborhood, near Strodtman Park. Located on the corner of Hebert and 14th streets, the 1401 Hebert St. warehouse space has 15,000 square feet, some of which will be used for the company’s coffee and cacao roasting, with two dedicated roasters on site, one for coffee beans and one for cacao.

In addition to the roasting operations at the building, the team at Sump Coffee plans to use a mezzanine structure that features a bar and seating area on the bottom as a dedicated space to host weekly coffee programs. The programs will have an educational component, but Sump Coffee owner Scott Carey sees the program as a way to return to the company’s original goal of sharing their coffee knowledge with others, and a way to open a dialog about coffee.

“I look at it as an opportunity for long-format discussion about the coffee. In retail settings, often times customers may just want to grab a drink and go,” Carey said.

Attendees of the coffee programs won’t always get the same experience, or even the same brews. Instead, Carey views the program as operating in a sort of omakase-style, where the staff will focus on whatever they’re currently roasting, different brewing styles they want to highlight or whatever beans interest them at that time.

“I envision it as a once or twice a week thing, sort of like a coffee speakeasy,” he continued.

Some of those styles may include fermenting or other experimental coffee-making methods, or coffee that has been brewed in ways that are uncommon. Carey also recognizes that dedicated home brewers are always looking for one more tool to make the perfect cup, and hopes to help attendees of the coffee program to learn new methods and highlight various brewing tools.

Since the facility is a warehouse, it won’t be air-conditioned, but there is a roll up garage-style door near the mezzanine structure. Due to the lack of air-conditioning, Carey sees the coffee programs running during three seasons: fall, winter and spring.

Currently, the goal is to open the new facility in September and the events will kick off this year. The first few events will likely be invite-only, with the details extended to regular customers of the Jefferson Avenue shop first to get a feel for the flow of the coffee programs and to gauge the attendee interest and experience.

More details will be shared on the company’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, so anyone interested should watch those platforms for more information.