Inside Dane Coffee Roasters in La Mesa, California. All photos courtesy of Dane Coffee Roasters.
With a cushioned spot for one of the world’s largest dog breeds, the owners of Dane Coffee Roasters have built a true clientele for their petite San Diego coffee business over the past six years.
The coffee roastery founded by Brielle and Scott Clark officially opened its retail roastery café in Grossmont Center in La Mesa in August, offering its customers an independent alternative to some of the nearby international chains.
Brielle Clark developed her love for all things coffee over 13 years as a barista, most notably at North Park Calabria Coffeewhere her desire to take up smoking was confirmed.
Brielle Clark said, “I’ve learned a ton about different aspects of this business.”
Clark, who spent years training as a self-taught roaster, preparing batches of coffee in her kitchen for personal sales and wholesale, now runs a roastery Cylinder coffee roastery in the Dane Coffee Roasters space, which was scheduled to open this spring but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clark also had to adjust her original vision for a more speakeasy-like design to fit the mall space and engage customers.
The up-to-date shop retains the reclaimed wood paneling on the back wall left over from the previous tenant. Its bar and bistro tables have custom-made marble tops. Gold trim throughout nods to the roasting machine, and a turntable plays LPs from its spot behind the bar.
Dane Coffee currently sources green coffee from Denver Cape Horn Coffees to see the list of roast offerings, which typically includes four or five single-origin coffees along with a drip blend. The cafe currently serves pour-overs, batch brews and frosty brews, including non-alcoholic and specialty brews like Orange Blossom Chilly Brew and Hint of Mint Chilly Brew. Espresso drinks will be added to the menu when a Quick Mill Lucca M58 single-group espresso machine arrives.
Clark suggested that as Dane approaches the milestone of opening a coffee shop, he will continue to operate at the moderate pace that has allowed him to achieve modest but lasting success thus far.
“I want to keep everything the same now,” Clark said. “Dane has been a work in progress for a few years, and I just want to connect my coffee and my community.”
Dane Coffee Roasters is now open at 5500 Grossmont Center Dr, Ste 165in La Mesa, California.
Craig Bathory
Craig Batory is a writer, marketer, and coffee industry professional living and working in Detroit.
