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Arabica Coffee Company expands – Coffee roasting coming soon
New roastery planned for the fall
The creamy cappuccino and buttery toast are still just as exceptional, but the light and the space are better than ever at Arabica Coffee Company in Portland. On September 26, Arabica reopened after moving a few doors away to 2 Free Street – exactly where owner Cathy Walsh had wanted to open when Arabica started its business 13 years ago.
Perhaps starting small made the move smoother. In the 13 years of operation, Arabica had changed its space at 16 Free Street three times, including one expansion. “It’s been a slow ascent,” Walsh said.
She is delighted with her new shop. “I’ve seen a lot of new people come in.” She attributes the new customers to the increased visibility of the coffee house, now adjacent to the sidewalk pedestrian traffic that flows up from Temple Street to Monument Square on Congress. The corner space at the foot of Free Street was earlier occupied by Oyster, which approached Walsh and her husband, John Walsh, to take over a lease Oyster no longer wanted.
Familiar signage listing flavored “moo” and coffee, Elmo spying from the rung of a ladder, and a portrait of voluptuous eggplant are all from the first location. A long counter made of a single thick piece of pine, with a water fountain at one end stocked with cups, is a new addition. Tiled floors, giant windows in the front, a storeroom and restroom downstairs, and more chairs and tables have changed the old intimate feeling at Arabica, bringing along more privacy.
Devta Doolan, left, and Wolcott Dodge converse in the back of the new Arabica.
Cool jazz on the sound system was augmented by a barrista’s mock baritone on a Thursday late morning. “We’ve been experimenting with four people behind the counter in the morning,” said another employee, “It’s hard because it’s narrow.” But the extra staffing should be able to pump out the lattes during the morning rush.
Dina Lattanzi’s D'Antonio Baking Company biscotti, Doug’s House of Toast bread, Bagel Works bagels, and Standard Baking Co. morning buns are some of the good things to eat. Count on the exceptional blends of coffee to make drinking a cup a pleasure. And speaking of the coffee, John and Cathy Walsh are also embarking on their own coffee roasting business.
The roaster is being built in the Mid-west, and will be shipped and set up in an industrial building near Ocean Gateway, off India Street, this fall. A Web site and restaurant accounts are in the works for the new coffee-roasting business, which will feature varietal coffee beans.
The espresso blend used at Arabica was created after a long process of tasting and retasting, Walsh said, with the help of a “guru of roasting” and friend, Scott Rao. Rao will train and assist with sourcing green coffee beans as the business gets underway. The freshly roasted coffee will be served and the beans sold at Arabica Coffee Company, under the same name.
The cappuccino at Arabica is topped with its signature designs.