Inside the revamped Mission Coffee shop in Columbus. All images courtesy of Mission Coffee Co.
Four years after shuttering its original Columbus, Ohio, cafe during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mission Coffee has returned to the space, continuing a quest for quality.
“Welcome Back” reads the mural painted in a front window of the shop that soft-reopened for coffee service earlier this month. Mission Coffee originally opened as a quality-focused multiroaster shop at the location in 2011.
Re-enlivened with the grumble of grinders, the hum of pumps and shoosh of steam into milk, the 1,400-square-foot shop required minimal refurbishing prior to the opening.
“We took the opportunity to update counter flow and some design updates,” Mission Coffee Owner Matt Roberson told Daily Coffee News. “We worked to find a balance of keeping the magic of the original space while giving it a renewed feel.”
The Short North shop maintains its original high ceilings, concrete floors and a combination of natural wood and exposed brick surfaces.
Atop the geometric-white-tile-fronted bar, a La Marzocco GB5 espresso machine anchors the coffee program, while a Mahlkönig EK43 grinder on the back bar is painted copper to match the real copper and brass case of a restored antique Gaggia Orione lever machine.
Roberson, who took ownership of the coffee company in 2022, restored the Orione in his basement.
Roberson currently roasts for Mission Coffee on a 5-kilo-capacity US Roaster Corp machine in the city’s South Side. While roasting became Mission Coffee’s primary focus during the pandemic, the company returned to permanent in-person coffee service and sales last year with the opening of a coffee bar at the its roasting facility.
A grand re-opening date has not yet been set for the old-made-new cafe, yet the owner is working on several new ways to re-engage with the community.
“We’ll be putting some extra energy into live music and other arts and arts-adjacent events,” said Roberson. “I’ve always loved that aspect of coffee culture and the community that it builds, so we want to play our part in making sure there’s space for those mainstays. We plan to keep rolling with the original ‘Mission;’ keep doing our part to push the Columbus coffee scene forward.”
Mission Coffee is located once again at 11 Price Avenue in Columbus. Tell DCN’s editors about your new coffee shop or roastery here.
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Howard Bryman
Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
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