Heroes Coffee opens espresso bar at new headquarters

After relocating its corporate headquarters to a 4,000-square-foot space at 401 N. Boonville Ave. this spring, Springfield-based Heroes Coffee Co. on June 29 opened an espresso bar at the location.

Co-owner Tim Ferguson said the move represented a fundamental shift for the company, which he purchased with his wife, Amy, in 2009.

“We wanted to let everybody know that we were more than just a café that was on National,” Ferguson said. “Most people don’t know that we’re a roastery, full-scale café supply. We have five different licensed locations around the Ozarks. So we’re much bigger than a café that’s been open for a while.”

With Heroes Coffee locations in Branson, West Plains, Bolivar, Sedalia and Pittsburg, Kan., the company's original headquarters were located at 621 N. Washington Ave., just a few blocks from its new location.

Ferguson said he renovated the space, which has 800 square feet dedicated to the espresso bar and retail area, with the remainder being used for the home office, roastery and to house coffee beans for wholesale.

The company works with brokers in the U.S. to import beans from Brazil, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Sumatra, Ferguson said.

“We’re based off of – as many businesses are – a wholesale and a retail price,” he said. “A price where we cut some of our margins so that customers can go ahead and resell, brew the coffee and sell it by the cup or sell the bags, and still make a profit.”

Ferguson declined to comment on specific pricing for products such as whole bean coffee and brewing equipment.

The Boonville Heroes espresso bar serves as a showcase for the coffee, said Office Manager Jami Hulse.

“The espresso bar doesn’t entail any sort of food, and it’s more focused on the coffee by the cup,” she said. “It’s just a way for us to highlight what we do at the roastery.”

Drinks at the espresso bar range from $1.85 for house coffee, $3.35 for lattes and $4.45 for signature frappuccinos, Hulse said.

The Boonville location is down the street from Missouri State University’s Brick City, and Ferguson said he is hopeful the company will attract students when the fall semester begins.

“Any students that were around this summer - they were pretty excited that we were going to be here and have some drinks and stuff for them,” he said.

Normal operating hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Ferguson said he is planning on keeping the espresso bar open late tonight for July’s First Friday Art Walk.[[In-content Ad]]