Monday Espresso Founders Felton Kizer and Amanda Christine on the new store in Chicago. All pictures courtesy of Monday Espresso.

Two key occasions within the long-term calendar of Chicago’s Monday Espresso are actually full with the opening of the model’s roastery and first brick-and-mortar cafe.

The community-focused and Black-owned firm based by Amanda Christine Harth and Felton Kizer in 2020 held a grand opening celebration earlier this month contained in the roughly 2,300-square-foot Starling constructing in North Lawndale, on Chicago’s west facet.

Collaboratively designed with Rafa Robles and Carlos Robles-Shanahan, the founders of the constructing’s progressive improvement agency Duo Growth, the Monday cafe embraces pure supplies comparable to wooden, glass and concrete, whereas bathing in pure gentle. The cafe house presents a way of permanence contained in the constructing that additionally presents public entry to a sound studio, a convention room, three outside terraces, a backyard and quite a few seating areas.

“We wished our presence to be felt and understood as a everlasting place,” Kizer instructed DCN. “As a pop-up model, it was time for us to generate roots and we wished to do this in a neighborhood that we may develop with and cement the legacy of Monday.”

At one finish of the brand new bar, in full view of friends, is the 1994 Probat L5 roaster that Monday bought from its earlier roasted espresso provider, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Littlefoot Espresso.

“We’ve been working with them for the final 4 years, and two years in the past I began taking journeys to GR to start out studying from him,” Kizer instructed Each day Espresso Information. “A couple of yr in the past we began speaking about me shopping for his roaster as a result of their manufacturing was rising. It was additionally round that point that I began creating my very own profiles for Monday.”

As head roaster, Kizer is primarily centered on single-origin roasts, with greens coming from importers comparable to De La Finca, Cafe Imports and Catalogue Espresso. Kizer additionally makes an attempt to align sourcing with a private ethical compass, specializing in family-owned and girls/femme-owned farms.

Stated Kizer, “I consider in truthful and livable wages, sustainable working circumstances, [and] centering LGBTQ+.”

On-line gross sales of Monday’s roasted espresso is launching this week. The corporate additionally began roasting for wholesale prospects and plans on doubling down on chilly brew manufacturing.

“Through the years, we realized that chilly brew is what we do greatest, and that’s an providing that we offer that many espresso outlets and types don’t put vitality into,” mentioned Kizer. “Now that it’s simpler to take care of each day filter espresso and espresso service, I need to proceed to construct out and scale our chilly brew operation.”

One other retail idea by Monday Espresso referred to as Pricey Monday, a “espresso bodega,” opened briefly over the summer time close to Douglass Park after which closed briefly whereas the crew centered on its opening in North Lawndale. Monday Espresso plans to reopen Pricey Monday subsequent month, providing packaged coffees from quite a few roasters alongside brewing gear, life-style and residential merchandise, grocery objects comparable to recent produce, snacks and staples.

“We’re planning to open these doorways again in December, simply in time for the vacations,” mentioned Kizer, including {that a} third Monday Espresso idea is deliberate for Chicago in 2025.

Monday Espresso is positioned at 3243 W sixteenth Road in Chicago. Inform DCN’s editors about your new espresso store and roastery right here. 

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