Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters® has expanded, opening a 5,700sf coffee roasting, training and tasting lab at 110 W. Woodstock St., Crystal Lake, IL.
“We have expanded from one café in 2006 to five cafes in McHenry, Lake and Cook counties. Our wholesale and catering businesses have grown, as have on-line sales, particularly subscription coffee delivery,” said Michael Shipley, general manager. “We roast more than 100,000 pounds of coffee a year and growing now.”
The increased productivity is already paying off as Conscious Cup recently signed an agreement to supply its coffees for café and lobby service at a locally owned, national brand hotel.
‘The roasting lab, quality of product, and the consistent productivity it represents, was a convincing element of our company’s presentation,” said Shipley.
A Probat 25 coffee roaster, by Probat Inc., Lincolnshire, bought in late 2021 and warehoused, is the centerpiece of the coffee lab and will double the production capacity of Conscious Cup’s current roaster installed in the Crystal Lake café and in use since 2006. The facility has planned space for a second roaster.
“The new Probat offers more fine-tuned controls for duration, heat, airflow and drum speed. We can react quickly as the roasting beans develop to finish at a profiled level for aroma and taste,” said Dennis Jackson, principal roaster for Conscious Cup. Dennis is Q-Grader certified with 20 years of experience including as a Specialty Coffee Association board member and judge in coffee Cup of Excellence competitions and auctions. He has visited to consult growers and purchase coffees in most producing countries.
In addition to roasting premium, seasonal specialty coffee the new facility will include the production of made-from-scratch syrups, chai and cold brew coffee. Conscious Cup currently supplies kegs of cold brewed, specialty coffee to its cafes, and other coffee-focused cafes in the region, and restaurants.
The coffee lab includes a training and tasting room for employees, training customers, and for presentations for catering and wholesale consultations.
“Catering is a growing and fun business for us. We have catered large and small weddings, special events at schools and corporations, and large-scale events like the VIP lounge for the Ryders Cup this coming September in Wisconsin,” Shipley said. “Essentially, we bring in a full-service coffee shop.”
Conscious Cup is also remodeling its cafes in Crystal Lake and Barrington, IL.
In Crystal Lake, 5005 Norhtwest Hwy., the remodeling includes changes to the bar for better service accessibility, repainting and décor changes, lighting improvements, and new table and lounge seating.
“Crystal Lake was overtaken by the growth of our coffee roasting needs and this project will make it a more comfortable place for friends and colleagues to gather, whether for a quiet moment, study, or for deal-making over a conscious cup,” Shipley said.
In Barrington, 100 E Station St., Conscious Cup has leased the next-door space formerly occupied by an ice cream shop. The remodeling, beginning about the third week of July, will open the wall between the two spaces, integrate flooring and ceiling, rearrange, and enlarge the bar, and expand the kitchen. New table and lounge furnishings will expand seating for customers.
The expansion this year follows with the 2022 opening of Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters at in the Palatine Metra station at 137 W. Wood St.; the 2020 opening at 355 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville; and, 2019 opening at 77 W. Main St., Cary, IL
In 2013, Conscious Cup bought the former Cook Street Coffee at 100 E. Station St., Barrington, IL. The company opened its first café in 2006 near Pingree Road and Cog Circle and reorganized and moved in 2010 to its present location at 5005 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake.
Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters acquires socially, economically and environmentally sustainable coffees from around the world. The company currently has 14 “outstanding” ratings of 90-94 points from Coffee Review, including two global Top 30 citations.
Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters is a trademarked dba of Jumpin’ Jacks Beans, LLC, and is wholly owned by Jack and Roseanna Shipley and Michael Shipley.