Louisville Roastery Argo Sons Relocating with Help from Philanthropic Venture Firm

Old (left) and new (right). All photos courtesy of Access Ventures

With backing from local firm Access Ventures, Louisville, Ky.-based roaster Argo Sons Coffee is planning a move to Shelby Park, south of downtown.

Argo Sons, co-created by owner Matt Argo four years ago, has been roasting inside a shared space with a music shop on Hurstbourne Parkway. In an announcement yesterday, Access Ventures said the company should be relocated to its new space, at 1151 S. Shelby Street, by the end of June.

Buildout in progress

Despite its for-profity name, Access Ventures is a nonprofit firm specializing in the philanthropic development of local businesses. It has catalyzed projects such as local family farms, art installations and community work spaces. In Shelby Park, where abandoned housing is an ongoing issue, the group has invested in rebuilding 26 single-family homes, while creating jobs for people coming out of homelessness, incarceration and substance abuse. The group owns the building where Argo Sons will be relocating, and Louisville Business First reports that it plans to lease the space at “fair market value.”

“1151 S. Shelby Street is part of what was once a bustling commercial intersection at Shelby and Oak Streets,” the organization announced yesterday. “As with many urban commercial areas, urban flight left this corridor underutilized for several decades. It is our hope at Access Ventures that with the addition of Argo Sons Coffee, and Scarlet’s Bakery across the street, that this intersection again can be an engine of commerce and employment for Shelby Park.”

Argo sons has been building business primarily through wholesale accounts, subscription sales and grocery sales. While the Argo Sons coffee line primarily features single-origin coffees, often pinned down to a single farm or lot, it also roasts for the Good Folks Coffee grocery brand.

Argo Sons owner Matt Argo

Access Ventures sheds some light on what to expect inside the new space:

Access Ventures is working with Argo Sons Coffee to construct a space that not only fills its current needs but that will be able to continue to serve them as they grow. The new space will have offices, storage facilities, a roasting space, and a packaging area. It will also include a coffee lab for customers and the community to learn more about the roasting process and where their coffee comes from.