Say hello to Tacoma's newest coffee roaster. You might know it already. | Tacoma News Tribune

Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. opened its newest roastery and coffee cafe Friday in Tacoma’s Proctor neighborhood.

The cafe will be at 2601 N. Proctor, right at the intersection of North 26th and Proctor streets. The Olympia-based company operates three Olympia locations and a West Seattle cafe that opened in January.

Co-owner Oliver Stormshak is a local. He grew up in Parkland and South Hill. He’s a 1995 Rogers High School graduate.

In 2010, he progressed from an employee of the company to its owner. He and Sam Schroeder, a co-worker at the time, bought the company. Sam’s brother, Andy, also is a partner in the business.

Tacoma was a natural place to expand, said Stormshak.

“For me, growing up in Tacoma, I’ve always known about the Proctor neighborhood and always loved it. I felt like if I was to move back to Tacoma, that’s the neighborhood I’d want to live in. It had the right neighborhood vibe to it," Stormshak said. "Interesting, independent small businesses, all things really attractive.”

He added, “We looked at the region where we want to do business. In the Puget Sound region, we had a handful of neighborhoods we’d be interested in. Proctor’s at the top. It’s obviously a beautiful, energetic neighborhood. For some reason it’s been bypassed for coffee.”

It’s true. There’s a shortage of independent, small coffee companies in that part of Tacoma. The city also has a decent number of small homegrown coffee roasters, such as Valhalla, Bluebeard and Manifesto, but none in Proctor until now.

The on-site roastery will be on display in the 1,400-square-foot cafe that has seating for about 37.

“The roasting room is really petite, but it’s gorgeous and it’ll be really fun for customers and ourselves,” said Stormshak. “On Saturday during the farmers market, you can stop in for some fresh roasted coffee.”

In addition to roasting on Saturdays, the cafe plans to roast every Tuesday, said Stormshak.

Pastries and savory breakfast foods will be provided by Olympia bakery Left Bank Pastry. Diners will find three kinds of quiche offered daily, plus croissants and more. Eventually, the cafe plans to serve breakfast burritos and sandwiches.

The coffee menu lists classic coffee drinks but also multiple styles of pour-overs, plus brewed-coffee-to-go for commuters. Specialty drinks include affogato, which is espresso and gelato, and ice cream coffee shakes.

“We also offer nitro coffee,” said Stormshak.

That’s a fancy style where coffee is infused with nitrogen, giving a creamy texture and distinctively smooth flavor.

Consider this a 21st-century coffee company in other ways. Not only is the cafe launching an ordering app, available for customers of the Tacoma store, but it’s also forward thinking about fair trade, a heated topic in the coffee industry.

The company recently was lauded for its Fair For All program, a pledge to pay above the industry-accepted standard for fair trade pricing.

Olympia Coffee Roasting Co.

Where: 2601 N. Proctor St., Tacoma

Info: olympiacoffee.com

Hours: 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday