Gumption is defined as one’s initiative and resourcefulness, and it is something Australian specialty coffee company Coffee Alchemy needed when it took a leap of faith introducing its Gumption Coffee to New York, United States, in December 2018.
Now just three years later, the brand has opened a new flagship store in Midtown Manhattan with its name in lights on a billboard in New York City’s iconic Times Square.
Co-owned by Clare Lim and Roaster Hazel de los Reyes, Coffee Alchemy’s first NY location was a 180-square-metre industrial roastery and café in Brooklyn.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting their plans, Clare and Hazel have continued to expand, opening Gumption’s flagship store at 1155 Avenue of the Americas in October 2020.
The café features an open space with several high-top tables set against a background of blue and teal tones. Designed by Lippincott, the space has large front facing windows which garners a lot of natural light.
The Brooklyn facility features rotating blends on tap with seasonal micro lots from single estate producers. The space also holds coffee labs and classrooms to train baristas with Hazel offering online coffee courses to residential buildings.
Forming part of The Durst Organisation in Midtown Manhattan, the Sydney born brand bring their “crafted, all-thrills, no-frills approach.”
Gumption Coffee is now offering home deliveries through their website or take-away beans are still available to buy from both of their NY locations.
Opened in 2003, Coffee Alchemy drew inspiration from de los Reyes childhood adventures in her grandma’s garden. From this, her desire to produce and share better coffee was born.
Coffee Alchemy has won a range of awards including “Best Coffee” in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Caffe Guide from 2011 to 2014, and Hazel winning the 2005 Australian Barista Championship and inaugural Australian Cup Tasters Championship. They’ve also developed a reputation with international athletes and celebrities.
For more information, please click here.