Café will move into city of Syracuse, roastery to stay in Madison County
By Jason Emerson
After three years in business in the local community, Peaks Coffee Co. has outgrown its location and is leaving its space at Nelson Corners. But only half of the company is moving away — the café aspect of the business is heading into the city of Syracuse, while the roastery is staying local and relocating only a few miles down Route 20 in Cazenovia.
“We are so grateful to the community. We were just two kids with a dream to create a space to bring community and coffee together, and the support we received just means the world to us,” said Sam Bender, co-owner, along with his wife Kelsey, of Peaks Coffee Co. “But our business is growing and, realistically, we just need more space.”
Peaks Coffee Co., a micro-roaster, was started by the Benders (at that time ages 22 and 20) in October 2015 in a 300-square-foot space at 3256 Route 20 East. They offered fresh roasted coffee from countries across the globe — single-origin sourced and carefully curated blends — as well public cuppings, coffee brewing classes and various events. Their coffee quickly began to be served at restaurants throughout the Cazenovia area and Central New York region, and their popularity as a café steadily increased.
In mid-2016 the business needed to expand, so the Benders moved Peaks into the 1,100-square-foot space in the building next door, at 3256 Route 20 East. The new Peaks offered room for more tables, a space for a couch and chairs and a coffee bar. The roaster area became open-air so customers could see and smell the coffee being roasted. The Benders also added the sale of pastries by wholesale bakers.
The business continued to grow, and Peaks coffee became available all over Central New York.
In March 2017, the Benders were co-winners (with McKenzie Hughes Houseman of 20East) of the Cazenovia Entrepreneur of the Year Award, sponsored by Cazenovia College.
Only two years after their last expansion, Peaks must now move again to accommodate their growing enterprise.
“We’ve got big plans coming and we need to move to meet the demands of those plans,” Sam said.
The new Peaks Coffee Co. café will be moved into the city of Syracuse, although the Benders are not ready to reveal the exact location or any details just yet, Sam said. “We’re looking to create a space that meets the core values of our company to serve our guests great coffee and food in a great atmosphere, that also gives us the opportunity to continue to grow our business,” he said.
When the new café plans are finalized, an announcement will be made on the Peaks various social media outlets, he said.
The Peaks coffee roastery, on the other hand, will stay in Madison County and move into a portion of the Pelco Component Technologies building on Route 20 in the Trush Business Park. The new, much larger space will allow the Benders to increase their coffee output by an estimated 50 percent within six months, Sam said.
The roastery will not be open to the public, as it will be specifically used for production and training for clients and future Peaks baristas, Sam said.
Local Peaks fans should not worry, however, as the company’s coffee will continue to be sold at Dave’s Diner and 20East, the Benders will continue to be at the weekly Cazenovia Farmers Market and they may try to do some “pop-up” events in the community. Coffee can still be ordered off the Peaks website as well.
“Who knows, maybe one day we’ll be able to open a new shop right in Cazenovia,” Sam said.
In the meantime, the local community “can still be part of our journey,” he said, as Peaks is now hiring for full- and part-time positions in both the new roastery and the new café.
“We are sad they’re moving on, but very happy with their success and the support of the community during their inaugural years,” said Nancy Demyttenaere, owner of both Nelson buildings in which Peaks has had locations. “Sam and Kelsey both have been terrific to work with these years, both in the smaller location next door and once they moved into ‘the big house.’ It’s been terrific for Nelson in general to have their positive energies and visions present on the corner as we work to revitalize that corner.”
Demyttenaere said the future use of the current Peaks cafe space is undecided at the moment, although she has had a few inquiries, all of which have had a food service element to them. “I know the community really would love to have a cafe or full service restaurant in there,” she said.
Peaks will officially close its doors at its Nelson location on August 18.
“We hope the community comes to see us off with a shebang,” Sam said.
For more information, visit peakscoffeeco.com, find them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or email them at [email protected].
