Would you pay as much as $9 for a cup of coffee? Jay Caragay is hoping you will to get some java grown by El Salvador farmer Aida Battle, known for producing small batches of award-winning coffees.
Caragay will sell Battle's brew and less expensive varieties at his new Hampden caf�, Spro. Located on the neighborhood's main drag, Caragay expects the 600-square-foot shop to at 851 W. 36th Street to open later this month.
With about $100,000 invested in the venture, Spro is Caragay's largest business to date. He also runs an espresso bar at the Towson Public Library of the same name and is best known for his Jay's Shaved Ice business. Though he closed the Timonium store in 2006, he still sells the shaved ice at summer festivals.
"We had a vision," Caragay says of his new cafe. "When you build a place that expresses that vision, people will respond to it."
His vision is to offer custom-brewed coffee. Customers will get to choose between seven different brewing methods -- iFrench press, a vacuum pot, an AeroPress, and something called the Clever Coffee Dripper, a manual coffee maker --for their cup of Joe.
Caragay says he chose Hampden's Avenue because he thought the cafe would fit in with the eclectic shops in the area. He also expects the shop to get plenty of pedestrian traffic at that location.
Spro will employ nine and initially sell light pastries. Caragay plans to add more items depending on the feedback he gets from his customers.
Source: Jay Caragay, Spro
Writer: Julekha Dash