Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Los Angeles Is Getting Its First Co-Op Coffee Roastery
(Photo by Liz Clayton, courtesy of Scott Rao)
()
Los Angeles is a city of renters, and not just when it comes to housing. You can lease a desk at a co-working space, rent out a sound studio for a film shoot, or even nab a temporary stovetop at a communal kitchen. Soon, you’ll also be able to lease a space in a commercial coffee roastery.
Scott Rao, a longtime cafe owner turned coffee consultant and the author of several books on the subject, is planning to open a roasting cooperative near downtown Los Angeles next year. He announced the news in a blog post on his website this week, writing that after nearly ten years of dreaming about it, he finally secured a space to offer “the highest quality cooperative roasting operation in the U.S.” Rao believes his spot would be the city’s first co-op roastery.
What exactly is a cooperative roastery, you ask? “The concept of co-roasting is you have a bunch of co-roasting machines,” says Rao. “And you’re basically renting time to people to use your equipment and basically, the users will actually end up spending less money on any given amount of coffee than they would if they had their own facility.”
Think of it as an Airbnb, but for people who are really, really into coffee and have the desire to roast it on a large scale. The space would likely appeal to owners of small cafes and coffee shops, restaurateurs who want to create their own blend of coffee for their menus, and serious hobbyists who are looking to start their own independent roasting operations but don’t have the equipment, the space, or the financial resources to do it on their own. “Roasting alone in a warehouse is one of the more boring jobs out there,” says Rao, a UCLA alum who now lives in Santa Barbara.
Support for LAist comes from
The co-op is geared toward roasters with experience, but Rao isn’t opposed to lending his years of industry knowledge and expertise to anyone who needs it. “I am not setting this up as an educational facility, but certainly if someone wants to be a user in my facility I’m happy to do everything I can to get them up to speed,” he says. After all, the appeal of a co-op isn’t just the economics of it, but also “the fostered sense of community" and "potentially shared learning and a lot of camaraderie,” he adds.
The roastery will likely offer hourly, half-day, and full-day rates, but Rao hasn’t decided on what those rates will be yet. He also says the co-op will be teaming up with “coffee-related neighbors,” but declined to offer any details on what that might look like. “I like the idea of having this little community of roasters involved,” he says. He’s currently waiting on permits from the city and hopes to open by mid-2018.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline. -
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
Best of LAist