Jacksonville coffee-bean roaster Pura Bean Coffee Co. is moving into a storefront to sell its brews.
Pura Bean Holdings Inc. President Chris Diedrich intends to open a coffee shop in early April in the Beach Boulevard center anchored by The Church of Eleven22.
Diedrich said the 1,000-square-foot shop will sell his coffees by the bag or by the cup. He also will offer pastries made by his staff.
Diedrich, who is a member of the church, said he had been looking for a shop location for more than a year. He had three serious prospective locations in Five Points, Downtown and San Marco, but those sites didn’t work out.
Then came opportunity.
“We saw a space that opened up and the terms are really favorable,” he said.
The space in the center, at 14286 Beach Blvd., also is convenient to his customer base.
“We have a following in the church,” he said.
Diedrich expects a staff of at least five employees.
To start, the hours will be 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The shop will be closed on Monday. He said those hours could change.
Food will include pastries, yogurt parfaits and he’s working on developing a breakfast-in-a-cup.
In addition to hot brewed coffee and tea, beverages will include iced coffee and tea, bottled water and probably bottled sodas.
Pura Bean coffee will be roasted and ground on the premises. He now roasts the beans in a location off of Powers Avenue in the Southside.
The city has issued a permit for the “Pura Bean Coffee Company” sign and logo on the building. Harbinger is the contractor for the project.
Diedrich said construction plans for the shop interior are in design.
Diedrich sells his roasted bagged coffee at several locations, including The Fresh Market, Riverside Arts Market, Pulp in San Marco, Green Man Gourmet in Avondale and Magnificat Café, the Downtown restaurant where he formerly roasted his coffee beans.
Pura Bean joined the shelves of area Winn-Dixie stores about a year ago. The Jacksonville-based grocery chain chose the coffee as one of its area vendors to carry on its shelves.
He also has commercial accounts.
Diedrich, 41, is married with three daughters ages 10, 12 and 21. He started Pura Bean in January 2014 while working a full-time job as a mortgage broker.
He tested, roasted, tasted and marketed his product, and offered samples outside Magnificat Café near City Hall during the 2014 One Spark crowdfunding festival.
The following year, he was a One Spark creator set up at the same location.
In March 2015, he left his full-time job and made Pura Bean his career.
The shop is the next step.
“It’s scary but anything that I’ve ever been scared of in my life has been a good thing,” Diedrich said.
He said there was fear, but also certainty in two ways.
“I’ve got God on my side and I’ve got a very high work ethic, so with those two things, you can’t keep me down.”
He hopes to introduce his 14th coffee blend, an espresso blend, very soon and to introduce a few more this summer.
His website, purabeancoffeeco.com, describes his company, processes and blends and also can take online orders.
The Beach Boulevard location probably won’t be his only shop. His five-year goal is to have five area locations.
“My goal this year is to get through the whole cycle in one location,” he said
Diedrich wants to work through the seasons to figure out staffing and business details before expanding.
“I want to make sure I get it down before I start throwing another iron in the fire,” he said.
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