Crimson Cup Opens $1.1 Million Roasting and Distribution HQ in Columbus

The new Crimson Cup roasting headquarters in Columbus. All photos courtesy of Crimson Cup.

Ohio’s Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has opened a new $1.1 million, 20,000-square-foot roasting and distribution facility in Columbus, more than doubling the company’s production capacity.

The facility is housing three cast-iron roasters under the supervision of Crimson Cup Roastmaster Dave Rochus — a 325-pound-capacity W. Roare model nicknamed “Godzilla,” a 66-pound W. Roure model nicknamed “Little Red,” and a 25-pound Probat model named “Hansel.”

The company founded by Greg Ubert, who says the wholesale supply network includes more than 350 coffee shops, restaurants, grocers and college campuses in 28 states, expects to roast more than 500,000 pounds of coffee in 2015.

The new facility — which includes skylights for a brighter working environment with reduced lighting costs, and advanced ventilation and exhaust systems under high ceilings — includes greatly increased green storage area. Ubert says Crimson Cup typically stores 27 green varieties at a given time.

In addition to supplying its independent and franchise distribution wholesale accounts, 23-year-old Crimson Cup also operates a flagship retail cafe in the Columbus suburb of Clintonville. The new roastery is at 1925 Alum Creek Drive in Columbus.