Espy Cafe Shares the Profits
The employee-owned coffee shop on West Huron is doing something different with its business model and its sourcing.
Espy Cafe opens March 1 at 404 West Huron Street. It will source beans roasted at Anthology Coffee in Detroit and fill a gap on a stretch of town that has needed a serious coffee program. I spent time with the team before opening, and what they are building deserves a closer look.
Espy is co-owned by Peter Littlejohn and Julia Knowles. Sam and Peter started roasting under the name Espy in 2019, building a following through wholesale and farmers market sales before committing to the brick-and-mortar. The coffee comes from smallholder projects around the world, imported through Semilla and Sundog, two specialty importers that focus on traceability and direct relationships with growers. Roasting happens at Anthology Coffee in Detroit.
The Coffee
I want to start here because the business model gets the attention and the coffee will need to justify the business model.
The espresso program aims for clean and balanced. Not the roasty, bitter shot you get at places that over-extract, and not the thin, acidic shot that some light-roast shops serve. The middle ground that requires the most skill: enough body to stand up in a latte, enough clarity to drink straight. Samples from their pre-opening roasts have been consistent and promising.
The drip coffee will rotate with the roasting schedule. A pre-opening single-origin from Colombia had a brightness that reminded me of Zingerman's Coffee Company's Guatemala, but with a smoother finish. The comparison is not a knock on either. Ann Arbor is fortunate to have multiple independent roasters, and an operation sourcing with this level of care will strengthen the city's coffee scene.
The Model
Espy will run a no-tip structure. Instead of tips, employees will receive higher base wages. The business is structured so that employees earn ownership shares based on the number of hours they work. The more you work, the more you own. Democratic decision-making is part of the operating framework.
I mention this not as a novelty but because it will affect the experience. The barista making your espresso will not be performing for tips. They will be making coffee at a shop they partially own, and that ownership structure creates a different kind of motivation. Whether the no-tip model works long-term at a small cafe is an open question. What I can say is that the people behind this project have thought carefully about the economics, and they are not asking you to subsidize wages through a tablet prompt.
The Space
The cafe will be on West Huron, a block that has not historically been a food destination. Espy could change that. The room features long picnic-style tables designed to encourage conversation, a deliberate choice that should work better than it sounds.
The space is bright and functional. No exposed brick speakeasy aesthetic. No reclaimed wood from a demolished barn. It looks like a place where people take coffee seriously, which is exactly what it will be.
Planned hours are Monday and Thursday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
The West Huron Corridor
Espy is part of a slow shift on West Huron. The Deli is up the street. Kerrytown is a block north. The area between Main Street and Fifth Avenue has been adding reasons to walk in this direction, and a serious coffee program will be a meaningful addition.
RoosRoast is Ann Arbor's most visible independent roaster. Zingerman's Coffee Company roasts on Plaza Drive for the ZCoB network and wholesale. Espy sources from Anthology Coffee in Detroit and will sell retail bags at the counter. Pre-opening pricing suggests a Colombia at $16 for 12 ounces, in line with Zingerman's single-origins and slightly above RoosRoast.
Espy Cafe opens March 1 at 404 W Huron St, Ann Arbor. Planned hours: Mon, Thu--Sun 8 a.m.--3 p.m. Closed Tue--Wed. No tips. Employee-owned. Beans sourced from Anthology Coffee, Detroit.