Sunergos Coffee & Micro Roastery recently opened their third location in downtown Louisville. Nestled on Fifth Street between Market and Jefferson, the new location brings quality local coffee to a neighborhood void of many local businesses.
The location is small, with no actual seating inside. Those familiar with Sunergos know that both the Preston Street and Woodlawn stores have a roasting facility. This store does not, but has the same friendly atmosphere as the other locations and an outdoor patio across the street for patrons to use. I had the pleasure of speaking with Matthew Heusted, one of the owners about their new location and mission of the company.
The choice to move downtown was unaffected by traffic flow or income. The company chose a slower downtown location strategically off the beaten of Fourth Street Live or Main Street. It was chosen because Sunergos is all about being a part of Louisville's neighborhoods. They wanted to have a venue where people came because it was Sunergos not because it was a conveniently located coffee shop.
While speaking with Heusted, I learned interesting facts about Sunergos that set them apart from other similar businesses in Louisville. Heusted explained that the company doesn't have specific staff for specific locations. They have a Sunergos staff where baristas interchangeably work between the three stores. The company is also not driven by profit. Yes, making a profit is important and they strive for that but it is not the most important element. To Sunergos, it is providing quality products and elevating Louisville's coffee scene. The company has long been attributed as a key player in Louisville's emerging 'Coffee Rennaissance.' Their baristas compete nationally in latte art competitions and all staff are knowledgeable about the products.
I asked Heusted how he felt about Sunergos being labeled a 'local chain.' He contemplated the question for awhile and proceeded to ask some of the baristas working at the new location. Kenny Smith, who placed second in the national Coffee Fest latte art competition, stated that Sunergos's values are integrated into the local economy. Heusted followed that up with, "We certainly don't think of ourselves as a chain; that fine tuned reproducible machine. It comes down to personality for us, not the personality of any individual, but rather the collective personality of all who work together here. That dynamic just can't be reproduced, faked, or fabricated. It just happens."
Sunergos' dedication to quality is truly a great addition to Louisville's downtown. With the exception of NuLu, downtown Louisville has not hosted many local businesses. It's nice to see companies like Sunergos have a presence in our busiest neighborhood.
Photos courtesy of Sunergos Coffee http://sunergoscoffee.com/ and EMarie http://emarie-photo.com/
