Meet Tony Dreyfuss of Metropolis Coffee Company in Edgewater and Avondale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Dreyfuss.

Tony, please share your story with us.
Jeff Dreyfuss (my father) was a somewhat disgruntled Indonesian Language Professor at the University of Washington-Seattle in the late 90s. Everyday he would ride his bicycle to his favorite Capitol Hill roasterie/cafe (Caffe Vita) and have an espresso macchiato. Naturally an early-riser, he would be the first customer every day and the guy who let him in? Dan Donohugh was the raw coffee buyer and head of roasting. They formed a friendship over time, and eventually Jeff was invited into the ‘back’ for coffee cupping (tasting). After a year of cupping he was finally invited to learn to roast. “He just kept showing up, day after day” says Dan. Entranced by the differences between coffee varietals, and by the mechanics of roasting, Jeff became obsessed.

I completed a Philosophy degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1998. During my studies, I drove taxi and would drink coffee all night to power through. One night, I had a particularly amazing cup of coffee from Sumatra and decided right then and there to make coffee the focus for my future career. I moved to Portland Oregon in 1999 with my girlfriend (future wife and mother of my 3 daughters) and stalked Peet’s Coffee and Tea for a job. Eventually I was hired as the lowest level floor sweeper but soon enough worked my way up to retail store management.

I moved to Chicago with my wife in 2001 and began saving money for a future cafe. Jeff invited me to Seattle in 2002 for Coffee Fest, and on the show floor we got into an espresso drinking competition. Not advised, by the way. 19 double shots later, we found ourselves in front of a booth for a roaster manufacturer. Buzzing from sheer stupidity and caffeine, we plunked down our checkbooks and bought a 12-kilo roaster on the spot – never mind that we didn’t have a business plan, lived in different cities, etc.

Nevertheless, we persisted (not as cool as Elizabeth Warren, but persistence matters) and opened Metropolis Coffee Company in Chicago in 2003 with a cafe, a roaster, and 3 employees. In 2007 we won the highly coveted National Roaster of the Year award by Roast Magazine, cementing our status as one of the nation’s finest roasters in the country. This award blew the doors off wholesale with inquiries pouring in from all around the country. Since then, Metropolis has grown considerably, and this year (2017) we expect to roast 1MM pounds of sustainably sourced, super high-quality coffee.

Metropolis’s mission is twofold:

One, that everyone who touches the coffee will benefit. The land, the farmers, the roasters, the retails, and the customers. That means sustainably grown coffee purchased at high prices, roasted with exacting and curated standards, high-road employment practices at our company, fair prices and tons of support for the retailers, and delicious coffees with a compelling story for the customers.

Two, that Great Coffee is for Everyone. That we need to connect with coffee drinkers wherever they are on their coffee journey, from new drinker to seasoned pro. We provide a suite of services, open-source and vetted information, and human-powered customer support to help people realize their coffee dreams, whether just for a good cup of coffee or for a formidable coffee company.

We are focused on wholesale as our growth mechanism, but also operate one of Chicago’s finest cafe (winner of Best Cafe in Chicago in 2015 and 2016 in the Chicago reader). Our business is also socially progressive, and we take our role as community center very seriously. We partner with dozens or even hundreds of local non-profits to help create opportunities, revenue, and even just fuel for volunteers who are doing important work. We have lots of examples of that, and plan to do as much as possible to be a productive and helpful member of our community, and in the communities in which we do business, whether in Chicago or across the globe.

In 2015 we moved our roasting facility to an exciting new development on the Chicago River, near the intersection of Belmont and Western (ish). The development is focused on craft food production. We were the first tenant, taking an 18,000 sf building from the 1920s. It’s an extraordinary facility, blending modern design with classic Chicago architecture, and includes a great tasting and evaluation lab, roasting equipment from the 1930s and 40s, and a team of dedicated and passionate coffee professionals who roast to spec and to order, all while having an awful lot of fun. We offer free tours on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month. Guests can sign up by emailing roaster@metropoliscoffee.com. Other tenants include Metropolitan Brewery, with 25,000sf and an all glass tap room overlooking the river. We’ll have a patio on the river bank, boat docks, and other food related businesses as well (like a distillery and space for startup food businesses along with a farmer’s market for products produced on premise). Eventually this should become a truly Chicago-focused inspired foodie destination.

Our segment of coffee is called the 3rd wave of coffee.

-The First Wave was represented by companies like Folger’s and Hills Brothers. Often, these companies use and used robusta coffee (lower grown, commercial grade coffee). The origin of these coffees was and is shrouded in mystery. The coffees that they sell are not considered Specialty Coffee, using a very specific definition of Specialty Coffee.

-The Second Wave is represented by companies like Starbucks and Peet’s. These companies introduced Specialty Coffee and espresso to the mass market around the world. They also doubled the amount of coffee used to brew a pot, and also introduced dark roasting. They changed the price structure for consumers, opening the door for 2nd and the following 3rd wave companies to purchase higher quality coffee (arabica), to sell at a price point previously considered impossible, and to talk about where the coffees come from.

-The Third Wave is best described as a craft approach to sourcing, roasting, brewing, and presentation. Most companies in the Third Wave pay much higher prices from producers than companies in the 2nd or 1st wave, care a great deal about ecological and economic sustainability, and about the details involved in selling these coffees in the best possible light. Transparency in sourcing and selling is important to 3rd wave companies, as are high-profile service techniques like latte art and pour-over coffee.

3rd wave coffee, like craft beer before it, has the potential to change the economics of coffee around the world – A pound of 3rd wave coffee is typically purchased at 2-6X the fair trade price. As this segment grows, the land will be treated better (sustainability), farmers will be able to thrive and improve their economic position as well as their processes for producing high-quality coffee, and customers will get ever better coffee. A true win-win-win. The trick is getting consumers on board, and that is where Metropolis’s mission to be as accessible as possible (Great Coffee is for Everyone) becomes so important. Everyone is invited to our coffee party.

We hope that you are or become inspired by great coffee, and though we know that you won’t always buy from Metropolis Coffee, we hope that you consider craft coffee and incorporate it into your life. It truly makes a difference that could potentially change the world for those who need it most – all by doing nothing more than enjoying a delicious cup of coffee.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been both smooth and challenging in so many different ways. Smooth in that we had good timing. Opening in 2003 allowed us to be one of the first on the ground in a new industry (3rd Wave Coffee) and as such got a lot of great press early on and continually ever since. We were able to establish our brand in a way that newer roasters have a harder time doing. Smooth in that we’ve always had a great company culture. our employees are a part of our commitment to high-road employment practices. We pay well, have industry leading benefits (even for part-timers), and are 100% independent, allowing us to be free to take care of our employees in a family business that cares more about creating a sustainable, quality business for the long haul rather than a high dollar exit strategy that focuses primarily on the bottom line.

The problems. We grew quickly and continue to grow quickly.

Growing quickly creates a whole host of organizational problems, and so we address those problems by reformatting our company, creating lots of systems and order, and continually reinvesting our profits back into infrastructure, human resources, quality control, facilities, equipment, etc. We spread the work load over lots of talented people who care an awful lot as well.

We also lived through the great recession, which limited our ability to borrow money and as such, to support our growth. So, we had to self-fund our growth over the years, limiting our ability to act quickly sometimes.

Our executive team is knowledgeable and smart, but like any team we have gaps in our knowledge – gaps like marketing, sales strategy, and so many other things. That said, we’re good at identifying what we don’t know and are voracious researchers to fill in those gaps. We’re also not afraid to ask for help when we need it, or to pivot if necessary, though we always try to stay close to our primary business – sourcing and roasting quality coffee, and to support our retail customers in their quest to learn more, and to align our resources to our wholesale customers so that they can run more effective businesses.

We have no hubris, and are fearful for the long-term future for coffee. There is evidence that global warming will reduce production dramatically over the next 30-50 years. That said, there are only so many things that we as a company have control over. In the meantime, we operated an ecologically sound business and encourage others to as well.

Metropolis Coffee Company – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our company is very well known for community service, quality of product (and consistency in that quality), significant services for wholesale clients like free training, free consulting (based on experience working with hundreds of cafes across the country), human-powered and empathetic customer service, great value in retail and wholesale offerings at very high quality, and our significant efforts to make coffee as sustainable as possible. We specialize in working in a consultative manner, where we evaluate a customer’s needs, wants, vision, and goals, then align our products, resources, services, and advice to help them achieve that vision. We have tons of evidence to support this statement.

Our wholesale customers are people who are interested in making a better coffee program and a more successful coffee business, who wish to be staples of their communities, and who are committed to doing the right thing. We always try to stress the importance of their brand over ours – that we should play a supporting role in realizing their vision, so long as quality is a part of the equation. We specialize in customers that use one primary roaster, and want support from their roasting partner.

We’re most proud of creating greater economic opportunity for people across the world and in Chicago. Whether through our staffing at our company, through the prices we pay great producers for coffee, or our partnerships with not-for-profit organizations, we want to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Though we’ve won many national awards for coffee quality and sustainability, the awards are nothing more than the result of doing the right thing over and over again, and by committing the time and resources to quality and humans and their needs and wants, rather than toward marketing and sales. We’re proud to be a part of an exciting industry that is growing and changing lives.

What sets us apart from others is our truly inclusionary approach to coffee – that it’s for everyone, regardless of your background, socio-economic level, number of tattoos, or knowledge of coffee. We stand on no soap boxes, preaching that only we know the truth about coffee. Also, our stringent approach to sourcing, roasting, quality control, and brewing. We have four certified Q graders on our staff (this is a 6 day exam with a 75%+ failure rate), so we have significant knowledge, but always try to see coffee from a customer’s point of view.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It was actually last week. I hand-wrote cards to all of our employees who have worked at Metropolis for 5 years and 10 (or more) years. My stack was huge, and each person had contributed so much – creativity, hard-work, team-spirit, innovation, and loyalty. It was a testament and proof that we have created a sustainable business that is attractive to people who wish to make a career at Metropolis, even though many could make a lot more money else-where in another industry.

Another moment was the recognition that I’ve received from our not-for-profit and neighborhood organizations for contributions of time and energy, products, ideas, and money. I won ‘The Pride of Edgewater’ award last year, which really humbled me. Edgewater is my own community, and it was such an honor. Another one was the Geraldine R Breaker ‘Building their Future’ award’ from Aspire of Illinois. Through our partnership, we have worked together to provide job training, employment opportunities, revenue, and exposure arm-in-arm an incredible organization that works tirelessly to create opportunities and learning for children and adults with disabilities.

Oh, and there was the time that Lin Manuel Miranda tweeted that he loved our coffee, after we sent him a few bags of Hamilton Blend 🙂

Pricing:

• Our retail offerings range from $11.50-$12.71 for a 12oz bag, or $15.10-$16.95 for a 1# bag
• Our wholesale offerings range from $7.70-$8.41 for a 12oz bag, or $8.05-$11.45 per pound in a 5# bulk bag. We offer volume discounts for wholesale at 70#, 250#, and 500# and we have special pricing for distributors.

Contact Info:

• Address: Cafe – 1039 West Granville Avenue, Chicago, IL 60660
  Roasterie – 3057 N. Rockwell St., Chicago, IL 60618
  Sales – 3057 N. Rockwell St., Chicago, IL 60618
• Website: www.metropoliscoffee.com
• Phone: 773-338-4904 | 773-764-0400
• Email: tony@metropoliscoffee.com | info@metropoliscoffee.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metropoliscoffeeco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetropolisCoffee
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MtropolisCoffee
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/metropolis-coffee-company-chicago-3
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/MetropolisCoffeeCo

Image Credit:
Tony Dreyfuss
Morgan Anderson

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