Sometimes all you need is an honest to goodness coffee. And in Franklin, Tennessee, there’s a lot of goodness going on at Honest Coffee Roasters. Over the course of their near-decade in existence, Honest Coffee has grown to include four cafes, including their latest spot inside the Factory. The 90-year-old former stove manufacturing plant has been renovated and repurposed into a shopping and dining destination in downtown Franklin.
And what good is a revamped mixed use space without coffee? That’s where Honest Coffee comes in. With their new 70-person cafe space, Honest is bringing the lighter side of coffee roasting to the 85,000 denizens of Franklin, just 20 miles south of Nashville. So let’s check them out, shall we?
The 2023 Build-Outs of Coffee is presented by DONA. The 2023 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by La Marzocco, Pacific Barista Series, Acaia, and Marco Beverage Systems.
As told to Sprudge by Lauren McHugh.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Honest Coffee Roasters was started in 2014 with the belief that coffee can do as much good as it tastes. Beginning with a small shop and roaster in Franklin, Tennessee, we have grown to have four shops in Middle Tennessee and three license shops in Alabama. We focus on high quality coffee that is enhanced by house-made syrups and the best milk possible.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
The new space stays with its industrial roots, but with an elevated feel. We kept our exposed brick walls and eclectic furniture, but added new fixtures and expanded our space to also reflect the changes coming at The Factory at Franklin- the building we are located inside. Our goal was to make it not only beautiful, but to be the largest place to sit and work in our area, which it is, with over 70 seats.
What’s your approach to coffee?
We work directly with farmers and small scale importers that we have long term and personal relationships with around the globe. In the world of coffee, both sourcing and life at origin can be pretty sketchy; by working directly with these folks, we can have full transparency of their farms and practices. We visit farms to make the face-to-face connection to sustain these types of relationships. When it comes to roasting their coffee, we opt for the light to medium approach. By roasting on the lighter side, we can highlight the unique bean characteristics that the farmers work so hard to create.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
Two Kees van der Westen Spirit espresso machines, one black, one white with custom branding
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
Currently open
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
Interior designer- Christie McCullough.
Thank you!
No, thank you!
Photos by William King
The 2023 Build-Outs of Coffee is presented by DONA. The 2023 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by La Marzocco, Pacific Barista Series, Acaia, and Marco Beverage Systems.
