It’s no secret around here that we love Tacoma, the City of Destiny, a complex and beautiful and oft-overlooked municipality. T-Town shares the shores of the Puget Sound with its more famous sibling, Seattle, but is unlike Seattle in so many, many ways. Sprudge’s co-founders grew up there, and at least one of them still has a 253 area cell phone area code. A Mike’s Special at Magical Sandwich Makers (MSM), vintage shopping at Scorpio Rising or Pure Vintage, a late night chocolate malt from Frisko Freeze (perhaps add shrimpwich), checking out the new drop at eTc, cruising with some good tunes through the North End, pizzas on the patio at Katie Downs, or a frosty mug of Heidelberg at Parkway Tavern—these are Tacoma pleasures we can endorse.
Speaking of Heidelberg, the brewery responsible for reviving this historic once-lost Tacoma brew is called 7 Seas, and their downtown brewery space (right next to the UW Tacoma campus) has become something of a local hub for good stuff, including smash burgers via Canteen by Camp Colvos and now Naomi Joe, a new coffee project from founder Kyle Willingham. We’re super intrigued by what they’re doing here, including a coffee set-up we’ve never seen before in a commercial setting, featuring two Decent Espresso machines and a Versalab grinder.
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 Kyle Willingham.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Naomi Joe Coffee is Tacoma’s newest nano-roaster. We are the only shop in town focused on light/Nordic roast coffees. Implementing the newest techniques and technologies for the tastiest results.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
A unique open-concept experience located inside a large local brewery, 7 Seas Brewing.
What’s your approach to coffee?
New age and open-minded.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
Decent Espresso DE1 Pro XXL. Versalab M4. Every shot is ~Single Dosed~
How is your project considering sustainability?
All of our single-use to-go packaging is compostable. Cups, lids, straws, spoons, and coffee bags. I talked to my local waste management company to make sure I was picking the most environmentally-friendly options for our local system. The Decent espresso machines heat up in four minutes every morning, which means I can turn them off when the day is done. When it comes to green buying we are always looking to improve relationships with the farms we source from and look to work with like-minded businesses. I try to take sustainability as seriously as I can and openly educate the community on why it’s important to support sustainable practices.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
We opened March 1st, 2023
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
A few noteworthy souls of my chosen family: Ryan Spence, Logan Maltese, Michael Lovett, and John Kelley there would be no Naomi Joe Coffee without you.
Thank you!
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.
