Sister companies House Brew and Smoky Bean Roasting Co. have opened the doors to a new storefront in downtown Baton Rouge.
The shop at 227 Florida St. operates like a “coffee lab,” say co-owners Manning Bergeron and Joe Foster, and shares the space with art and multimedia studio Digital Knomad. Customers can see their drinks being made while they’re waiting to receive them. While the House Brew cart at Pelican to Mars will still roll in and out, the new downtown location offers a more permanent spot for the concepts.
Bergeron, who launched House Brew as a pop-up, now owns House Brew and Smoky Bean with Foster. Samm Clark recently came on board as a co-owner of Smoky Bean.
|
|
|
“You can go somewhere really fast if you go alone, but if you want to go far, you should go with a group,” Bergeron says. “We all support each other … If you ever have a dream, just start.”
Bergeron, who opened a semi-permanent location of House Brew at Pelican to Mars in Mid City this summer, has been in the restaurant industry since they were 16. Initially, they developed a love of coffee and the coffee business at a job at Starbucks and later at a local coffee shop where they met Foster.
“We care about coffee a lot,” Bergeron says.
Digital Knomad owner Kahil Abdel was a regular at the Pelican to Mars’ location of House Brew and approached the team about opening a coffee concept within the creative space.
“How perfect would this storefront be for coffee,” Bergeron recalls thinking after seeing the takeout window at the storefront.
“It just sort of fell into our lap through Kahil coming and enjoying our coffee at Pelican to Mars,” Foster adds.
After touring the space, things moved quickly for the young business owners. They set up the workbench and machines, installed floor tiles, dressed the ceiling up with lights and coffee bags, and opened just about two months later, on Dec. 22, 2024.
“We were able to make this our little slice of heaven,” Foster says.
Before walking into the space, customers will be greeted by the smell of coffee wafting out of the window due to the Smoky Bean roasting operations inside. Inside, customers are welcomed by ambient lighting and warmth. If you look up, you’ll see coffee bags adorning the ceiling that are conversation starters, according to the owners. A red door that the owners scored from Facebook Marketplace serves as a bench behind a few small tables. Patio tables and seats offer space to enjoy House Brew’s espresso-based drinks outdoors when the weather warms up.
Customers can see everything that’s happening within the cozy cafe. Foster operates the roaster three or four days a week while Bergeron works across the space making drinks.
“We want to be as transparent as possible,” Foster says.
The owners say they are constantly trying, tasting and experimenting to develop new ideas, and it’s been a collaborative process between the three of them. Current holiday flavors that are brewing include Toasted Marshmallow Latte, which features marshmallow and vanilla flavoring and is finished off with mini marshmallows that are roasted; Bananas Foster Latte, created by Foster himself and featuring banana and caramel flavoring, brulée and a sugared topping; French Vanilla Latte, a classic go-to featuring hazelnut and vanilla flavors; and Pumpkin Spice Latte, which has been lingering around since November. House Brew also serves classic espresso-based drinks, cold brews, teas from Adornleaf Tea Co. and pastries from Mid City Bakery.
“One of my favorites is our matcha,” Clark says.
This location offers convenience for customers who want to support the local scene. Compared to the Pelican to Mars location, which closes at 2 p.m., the new downtown location stays open until 5 p.m. Foster says they hope to catch the after-work crowd that might want an early evening pick-me-up.
|
|
|
Thanks to its partnership with Digital Knomad, customers can look forward to sharing the space with an independent bookstore and a darkroom for developing film soon, according to the owners. They also look forward to hosting pop-up events that will tie into the Red Stick Farmers Market. Foster says he’s working on writing a curriculum for roasting classes to be offered to customers, too. He hopes the space can show patrons the behind-the-scenes of roasting coffee and forward their coffee education.
House Brew and Smoky Bean Roasting Co. are located at 227 Florida St. The space is open daily from 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Check them out on Instagram @housebrew225 and @smokybeancoffee for menu updates and roasting schedules.