A referendum is coming to California, perhaps as soon as 2018, in which the great state will clear a path towards seceding from the United States of America.
Stick to coffee, Sprudge! Sure, that’s fine—but no matter where you stand on CalExit, one thing’s for sure: if California becomes its own country, it will be the greatest cafe country in the world. From Venice Beach to the Outer Sunset, Martinez to Redlands, Sacramento to Santa Cruz, every last city and town in the Nation of California will be adjacent to both delicious coffee and In-N-Out.
And that includes Fresno, in the heart of the Central Valley, the agricultural breadbasket that helps drive California’s crop economy. That’s where Hi-Top Coffee is laying down roots. They open in just a few short weeks.
As told to Sprudge by Aaron Bagato.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Karsyn, Spencer, and Aaron all met at a local rock climbing gym. We’ve worked various careers and jobs, some in coffee and some not and that has brought us to this place of opening our own shop. We will be giving our customers a positive and friendly coffee experience with a quality roasted product. Our values are centered around the process and enjoyment of specialty coffee. We are really good friends, a lot of the time our meetings feel more like hangouts. We hope this easygoing and friendly vibe is something the people we serve in our coffee shop experience!
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
Our space is beautiful and bright. We’ve gutted the entire building and began the remodel process. We are making it a super comfortable space. It will feature natural concrete floors, a custom mural upon entry, wooden table tops, and hexagon tiles lining the counter area. Large windows line our front entry way, allowing natural light to flood in during the day time. We have painted the walls white and the ceiling a light sea foam green. The space will feel modern and bright but not too modern, we are staying away from the feeling that you can’t touch anything or you’ll ruin it.
Our building is located in a historic neighborhood of businesses and residential housing alike. It is one of the more progressive neighborhoods in Fresno and has characteristics that are not found anywhere else in Fresno. We are focused on creating a space that is comfortable and welcoming for everyone that walks in our doors, a place that you know you can always go to and see a friendly face.
What’s your approach to coffee?
We believe that making great coffee allows us the opportunity to positively impact the lives of the people who work with us and the people who walk through our doors. We will offer classes, cuppings and tutorials on a monthly basis to our customers.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
In our shop we have a matte black two group La Marzocco Strada EP. For grinders, we have the Mahlkönig Peak, a few K30 Airs, and we are still lining up our coffee selection. We have some exciting things in the works!
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
August 2017.
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
We have worked with some amazing people for this project. Joe Parker has been our go to person for a number of things. We couldn’t have done this project without his help. David Baisa is our architect and has done a phenomenal job in getting our building up to code and making it look beautiful. We’ve had photos and video work done by Enrique Meza of Meza Films and these photos came from our friend JP Moya. Quinn Bowman is doing a phenomenal mural inside our shop. Lastly, our friends and family have been super supportive. We can’t thank them enough for cleaning floors, knocking out walls, and feeding us from time to time.
Thank you!
Thank you for featuring us!
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