Inside Merit Coffee’s new San Antonio headquarters. Photography by Grant Ryznar (ryznarphotography), courtesy of Merit Coffee.
Having expanded to Texas-sized proportions over the past 13 years, San Antonio-born Merit Coffee has entered some well-earned new territory.
The coffee roaster and retailer has just moved its production line, quality control center and headquarters to a newly remodeled 9,000 square foot space on the North Side of San Antonio.
Merit Coffee’s new production headquarters is in San Antonio. Photography by Grant Ryznar (ryznarphotography), courtesy of Merit Coffee.
Inside a modern 55-year-old building that the company acquired in early 2020, Merit’s Probat P25 toaster, Probat G45 Retro toaster and related production equipment are now spread over approximately 5,400 square feet.
The new site also houses facilities for staff training and wholesale training, as well as Merit’s administrative offices.
Photography by Grant Ryznar (ryznarphotography), courtesy of Merit Coffee.
Founded by Robby Grubbs, Bill Ellis and Javier Lobo, Merit Coffee first gained its lines as a multi-role coffee shop in 2009 under the name Local Coffee. In 2018, local retail coffee brand and sister roasting brand Merit Roasting Co. in consolidation under the Merit name, and growth has been rapid since then.
Photography by Grant Ryznar (ryznarphotography), courtesy of Merit Coffee.
Currently, Merit operates 10 retail café locations, four of which opened in 2019, including two each in Austin and Dallas. In 2020, Ellis and Lobo purchased all of the company’s assets, with Ellis taking over as CEO, and later that year they purchased the Northside San Antonio building that now stands as a home base.
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Christian Rutsko, who has led the sourcing and roasting programs for many specialty coffee companies for more than 15 years, joined Merit as Director of Green Coffee in February. Kim Balzen oversees the roasting operations, which are currently made possible through the work of Jacob Gregoire, Zadik Rivera and Jacob Raley.
Photography by Grant Ryznar (ryznarphotography), courtesy of Merit Coffee.
CEO Bill Ellis told DCN that the first production roasts at the new facility hit cooling trays in February. The 11th Merit Café at the Preston Forest Shopping Center in Dallas is scheduled to open later this year, with plans underway to open several additional slots.
Photography by Grant Ryznar (ryznarphotography), courtesy of Merit Coffee.
“Once settled in our new home, Merit’s entire attention will turn to growth in each of the major markets in Texas,” Ellis said, noting that additional locations may come to San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and soon to Houston.
Photography by Grant Ryznar (ryznarphotography), courtesy of Merit Coffee.
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Howard Berman
Howard Breman is Associate Editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He resides in Portland, Oregon.
