Craig started drinking coffee at age five, as required by his neighbor (Mrs. McNitt) to have a piece of her delicious homemade cinnamon coffee cake. From there, consumption of coffee followed over to Grandma’s house – to go with Steenstra’s Almond St. Claus Windmill Cookies. As Craig grew older, by age twelve, he dropped the cream & sugar and drank coffee with his dad after Rocket football games with a Marge’s Donut Shop apple fritter. Then he attended high school (Go, Grandville Bulldogs!), college & graduate school (Go, NMU Wildcats!) where his coffee consumption grew exponentially and his tastes were refined. After several not-so-fulfilling jobs, he started to research opening up a coffee shop in his beloved hometown of Grand Rapids. Canvassing all over town, he found out to his dismay that Starbucks & Biggby’s took up the prime retail sites in Grand Rapids.
After some soul searching in early 2002, Craig started to roast coffee beans at home while in the back of his mind, the idea of a coffee roasting business started to slowly…percolate. Then in 2007, he incorporated and purchased a brand new 5-kilo shop roaster from US Roaster Corporation – Grand Rapids Coffee Roasters was born! A diligent search for the ideal location pursued, with success found in a near-abandoned furniture warehouse on the top floor in the scenic Black Hills neighborhood of Grand Rapids. A plain-looking wooden picture frame, located in the cupping room in the roastery, displays the $10.00 bill from the first bag of coffee sold, to none other than, his parents…
The story continues: 1111 Godfrey Ave was sold in late 2017 and the new owners decided a change was necessary for Grand Rapids Coffee Roasters. They decided on a time frame to move us (September 2018) but failed to find a suitable location amongst their properties. We found and built out a new location in the city of Wyoming within Big Brother Moving & Storage. We moved our operation and passed inspection only to find out the building owner was negligent and unwilling to cooperate with the city inspectors. Caught between a rock & hard place, we negotiated to operate in our original location while a new location was built out in the north building at 1111 Godfrey Ave. The only catch, we had to utilize the building maintenance personnel to build out the new space.
We decided this new location should include upgraded equipment such as: Diedrich IR-12 Coffee Roaster, Nuova Simonelli Appia II Compact Espresso Machine & Mazzer Super Jolly Grinder, Cupping Room, Custom Fabricated Brew Bar, Flair 58 Manual Espresso Maker & Royal Grinder, Technivorm Moccamaster & Breville Smart Grinder Pro, Chemex Brewer & Chettle, Bunn VPR Coffee Brewers & G2 Grinder, Hario V-60 Pour Over’s & Skerton Pro Hand Grinder, AeroPress Coffee Maker, Handground Coffee Grinder, Coffee Gator French Press, Cold Brew Kit & Premium Coffee Canister, Bodum ePEBO Siphon Brewer, Toddy Cold Brew System, Audiophile Stereo System, Mood Lighting, Fully Restored 1930’s Sunoco Gasoline Pump…
Yes, a fresh start for Grand Rapids Coffee Roasters!
When the new location was completed, almost a year behind schedule, we moved in and had our first Saturday Experience on February 14th, 2020. Then Covid-19 hit in March 2020…
And then: The City of Grand Rapids started road construction in August 2020 on a portion of Godfrey Ave right in front of our main entrance. This project included new water & sewer pipes, pavement, sidewalks, bicycle & landscaping lane with grass & trees! This project was mostly completed, save for the planting of grass, in February 2022.
At the same time, the maintenance crew started on a new customer entrance in the back of the building and is expected to finish a day to two before Craig retires in December 2028…
