Tonx is roasting coffee again. Tony Konecny–better known as Tonx–owned a Los Angeles based roaster and delivery service thatย wasย purcahsed by Blue Bottle in 2014.ย Tonx then shifted into the roleย as Head of Coffee Operations at Los Angelesโ quality-focused fast-casual eateryย Locol. But according to Oliver Strand in his most recent New York Times article, Konecny is back behind the drum and selling coffee as Yes Plz, part of the Locol brand. With his coffee roasting, Tonx is following a similar ethos to that of Locolโoffer high quality coffee at a low price.
Much like the coffee sold at Locol–$1 for a cup of black coffee and $1.50 for a drink with cream and sugarโKonecny will be selling roasted coffee for $8-9ย per 12-ounce bag. And the quality of the coffee will not suffer due to the low cost; the article notes that the new coffee roaster will be sourcing from Red Fox Coffee Merchants, a boutique importer used by some of the best coffee roasters in the country.
According to the article:
But some in the industry are concerned that perhaps the $1 price tag devalues the product:
It is certainly a wild experiment, selling high quality coffee at such an astonishingly low price point. Only the time will tell what the future hold for Yes Plz. For now, read Strand’s article in full to get a better sense of what Konecny wants to accomplish with the new roaster. It’s certainly something worth keeping an eye on.
Zac Cadwaladerย is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network.
*top image via the New York Times