Since our humble beginnings three years ago, the 800-square-foot café on the corner of Nassau and Chambers in downtown Princeton, NJ, has seen customers from six of the seven continents (come on by, Antartica—we’ve got hot coffee that’ll warm you right up!), dozens of countries, and nearly every state, many of whom confess that they long for the day when Sakrid Coffee Roasters opens a location in their city. While we may not be quite ready to set up shop overseas, we are at a point in the development of our business—and in the growth of our passion for coffee—where we are ready and eager to share the Sakrid experience with more than just our Princeton neighbors. Chicago was the destination we just couldn’t resist. And so we came home. We hope to bring to the Windy City not just a delicious new brew, but an experience, an opportunity for coffee to be more than just a morning cup.
Three years have passed since Sakrid Coffee Roasters sold our first cup of joe in that flagship café in New Jersey. And although we have faced—and continue to face—challenges unforeseen and seemingly insurmountable (we as a company, surely, but vastly more so we as human beings), one thing that has stayed the same for us at Sakrid is a deep passion for coffee, an awareness of others’ craving for it, and an eager desire to use our passion to meet that thirst. In a world that seems to grow increasingly bleak, the list of what brings warmth to our hearth and smiles to our faces seem to grow smaller every day. But something that remains on that list, at least for us at Sakrid, is our namesake: coffee.
“A bit melodramatic, don’t you think?” you might accuse us. And you would be right. Coffee is not the miracle tonic, the secret solution, the ink which will write the world’s peace treaty. Our coffee, at the end of the day, is just coffee. And we are just a coffee shop. But that doesn’t mean we can’t participate in the good work of honoring the beverage we brew, the customer who orders it, and the experience we share in that exchange.
What we at Sakrid can be, as the local coffee shop on the corner (not just of Nassau and Chambers in Princeton, but now also of Clark and Dickens in Chicago!), is a brief stop on your morning commute, a quiet respite for the bookworm, a center of coffee education for the budding barista, and a welcomed meeting place to catch up with old friends or happily make new ones. We care immensely about the quality and consistency of the cup we brew, be it an iced chai latte, a steeped herbal tea, a simple espresso, or just a classic cup of drip coffee… but we care equally about the experience you have in ordering, awaiting, and drinking that cup. Be you a traveling out-of-towner quickly on your way out our door to catch the bus (if you’re trying to catch the CTA 21 or 36 line, both run right past the front door of our shop!), a coffee connoisseur scoping out the best pull of espresso in the Windy City, a stressed student needing a good spot to set up shop for the morning, or anyone with anything in between, our mission from the moment you enter our doors is to ensure you not just a drink that exceeds your expectations but an experience that leaves you feeling welcome, wanted, and worthy.
Whatever your morning cup is to you, may it be exactly that. And, if you’ll let us, we’d love to be a part of putting that morning cup in your hands. Whatever you might be looking for in a cup of coffee or tea, we think you might find it with us at Sakrid Coffee Roasters. We’ll have tea for the shaky hands looking for some calming warmth. We’ll have single-origin pour-overs for palates seeking to explore new tastes. We’ll have cold brew for the on-the-go summer-lover. We’ll have flat-whites for the fabulous, matcha for the meek, lattes for the longing, and decaf for the discontent. Our hope is that, at Sakrid Coffee Roasters, you will find what you have been searching for, even beyond the cup. Here, may you find community, education, conversation, a workspace, or just an absolutely delicious drink.
