We’re heading all the way to Reno on our latest Build-Out adventure, checking out the new location of Hub Coffee Roasters. Hub is a lynchpin in the Reno scene, this new multi-floor shop has panache to spare—let’s take a closer look.
As told to Sprudge by McKenna Brunn.
The 2025 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, La Marzocco, Ceado, and Dona.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Founded by Mark Trujillo, along with his two kids, Joey and Jessica, the first Hub location was opened in 2009 in a tiny garage in Midtown Reno to create a space that would foster their love of coffee and bikes, rooted in community. While we’ve moved on from that location, the original goal behind it still informs every blend, location, and relationship we build today. As one of the first specialty coffee shops in the area, we’ve since opened up three cafes that have the pleasure of welcoming Reno’s coffee lovers, cyclists, and community members.
We have dedicated the past 13 years to sourcing coffees from seed to cup, cultivating relationships within coffee growing regions. From Latino business owner to coincidental translator at origin to part farm owner, our founder has partnered in three Colombian coffee farms: Finca las Nubes, las Veraneras, and Monte Bonito. His genuine connections built in 2016 with Vicente Mejia and Rodrigo Sanchez in Colombia have evolved into a significant business venture. We take pride in our connection to the community and actively give back year-round through partnerships with organizations such as Renown Children’s Hospital and Nevada Athletics.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
The Hub was started around coffee, community, and bikes with our motto being “We exist to bring people together” both at the farm level and here in Reno. Our store was built with this in mind. With a spacious second floor that can host up to 80 people, we wanted it to be a space for the community. This cafe is swiftly becoming a gathering place for the community for networking, company meetings, and other events. Our open bar concept downstairs allows customers to sit near the baristas, fostering conversation. This store is bright and inviting with industrial elements like steel, granite, and concrete with accents of greenery. We used light wood downstairs for shelving and tables to make it bright and welcoming with dark wood upstairs for a cozy feel. We want our stores to exude our “Hub Means Nevada” tagline reflected in our branding. We have Nevada mountain scapes on the walls and stuck to a desert-themed color palette for furniture and other decor. Gold accents can be seen throughout the store to reflect our “Good as Gold” philosophy that we lead with when roasting and serving coffee. Some bike-related decor can be seen around the store, like our gold bike wheels that frame the larger windows downstairs.
What’s your approach to coffee?
At the Hub, we view coffee as a means for connection in Reno and at origin. When selecting green coffee, we prioritize relationships with the producers, like the ones we have with Luis Joquin Lovo and Mario Vilchez in Nicaragua. We also select coffees based on varietals. The Caturra variety, for example, roasts best in the low-humidity and high-altitude atmosphere that we have here in Reno, Nevada. We aim for coffees with minimal defects and a minimum score of 85 points. With so many coffee shops and roasters in the Reno area, we like to look for coffees with unique characteristics to make our coffee offerings different.
We’ve experimented with many co-ferment coffees over the past couple of years, featuring them on espresso, drip, and cold brew at our shops. We love sharing them with our customers because they’re a conversation starter and an opportunity to share more about what goes on at the farm level and how these coffees make it into their cup.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
We use a La Marzocco Swan grinder and a Victoria Arduino Eagle Tempo espresso machine at this store. We typically have a rotating single origin espresso available along with our seasonal espresso blend, the Thirty-2-Cheney. For drip coffee, we use a Wilber Curtis G4 Thermo Pro Twin and a Mahlkönig EK43 grinder.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
We opened this store in January 2025.
Thank you!
The 2025 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, La Marzocco, Ceado, and Dona.
