Chalk up a victory for Zeke’s Coffee, the East Liberty roaster which last week was forced out of its original space at 6012 Penn Avenue to accommodate new development. Zeke’s is now in the process of setting up its new bakery and café across the street at 6015 Penn.
The move follows an enormously successful crowdfunding campaign which saw the café raise more than $3,000 over its $15,000 goal toward opening both a new space across the street and a full-scale production facility for storage and roasting on nearby Broad Street.
“Originally, we didn’t want to separate the roaster from the café, but it was virtually impossible to find a space which allowed us to keep them together,” says Zeke’s Chad Hammitt, adding that it was important for the local roaster to stay in its home neighborhood of East Liberty.
When the new facilities are done, Zeke’s new café location will offer an expanded menu of drinks and baked goods, and the Broad Street roasting facility will allow Zeke’s to increase its production by 70 percent, as well as offer drive-thru coffee service. While this will put Zeke’s out of commission for a bit, Hammitt says owner Chris Rhoads anticipates the bakery and café will be ready to go within the next two weeks.
Since opening in 2011, Zeke’s has become one of Pittsburgh’s finest purveyors of locally roasted coffee as well as the incubator for new businesses such as Leona’s Ice Cream Sandwiches.
To contribute toward Zeke’s ongoing crowdfunding campaign—with its super “perks”–check out their indiegogo site.
