Behind the Build: The Vision for Fika Coffee’s North Shore HQ

A Restless Dreamer on the North Shore

I have described myself as a “restless dreamer.” My interpretation of that phrase is basically someone who always has ideas and rarely sits on an idea long enough to follow it through to actualization. Obviously, this is not 100% true for me, but it definitely describes how I function to a degree.

A Vision of Transformation on the North Shore

There is one dream that this dreamer never dreamed of, even in his wildest dreams: the dream to build from the ground up, to create a space exactly how I would want it, down to the last detail.

I am part romantic at heart. I long to see transformation, to see the old and run-down become new and alive, to take something everyone has forgotten about and make it fresh and exciting. I could take you for a walk through Grand Marais and tell you all the ideas I’ve had for some of the buildings that would start something like, “If this building were for sale, this is what I would do here,” or “If money wasn’t a concern, this is what I would do to this old building.”

Well, it has gotten pretty dreamy up here on the North Shore.

Fika Coffee Headquarters: A New Chapter in Grand Marais

You may or may not know, but Fika Coffee is building a Fika Headquarters! The world-wide HQ is being built in the business park in Grand Marais.

With that, there are two questions we are commonly asked regarding this project: Will there be a café? And, when will it be complete?

Let’s tackle the easier question first.

Building the HQ: Timeline and Anticipated Opening Date 

Ok, so we have a bank loan, and with that loan comes a schedule we’re trying to stick to. I have a 16-month loan, which will mature around the middle of August 2025. It’s realistic to say that by next August, we will be roasting from there.

Also, our oldest daughter Claire is graduating from high school this year, so I think it would be pretty sweet if the space was finished to the point that we could host her graduation party there.

So yeah, between June and August next summer, we should be roasting coffee in the new space.

The second question, and the one asked more often, is, “Will there be a café there?”

The short answer is no, there will be no café.

Now for the long answer:

Think of the new building as the Fika Headquarters. This building was designed and built with production in mind, so this is a production-forward space. This new place will allow us to roast more coffee. Since day one, our goal has been to be a coffee roaster, roasting coffee and shipping it down Highway 61 to the people! This space will prioritize our roasting and wholesale work. That will look like staff training, quality control, and hosting wholesale customers.

What to Expect from Fika Coffee's New HQ

When we do open our doors to the public, it will happen on three different levels. We’ll work our way up to these offerings as it makes sense.

Level One: Public Events and Classes

The base level will be to host scheduled public events and classes. This may include a roastery tour, where we show and explain the roasting process, share a cup of coffee, and give each guest a bag of coffee to take home. We might also host home-brewing classes, coffee-tasting classes, etc. These classes would have a flat fee and last anywhere from 60 to 120 minutes.

Once we get comfortable with these classes and identify which ones work well and how often, we’ll move to the next level.

Level Two: Random Pop-Ups

At this level, we would make a public post with something like, “We’re popping up at the roastery this Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to make 12oz Maple Lattes.” Then, maybe the next pop-up would be Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., featuring decaf iced lattes.

These “pop-ups” will be “consistently random,” meaning you won’t know when or what to expect. If we offer a 12oz maple latte and that sounds great, come on up—just don’t ask for decaf or oat milk, because we won’t have that.

What we want in the roastery space is to control the narrative of whatever’s happening. We want to focus solely on the set menu and execute that to a high level. Controlling the environment will help reduce pressure on our staff, letting them be more present with our guests.

Level Three: Full Fika

Here, we would sell a limited number of tickets for a Fika seating for a set period, with a coffee and pastry pairing. There may be 2-3 different coffees alongside 2-3 pastries, chosen specifically to complement each other. These events would be for smaller groups of people open to meeting, greeting, and sharing a Fika with others who sign up.

So, there you have it! We are super excited about this next chapter.

Cultivating Community

We continue to grow Fika and offer some very intentional opportunities for guests to come and fika with us. When I think about it, it’s like planning a dinner party with all your favorite dishes, curating a playlist, only to find yourself stuck in the kitchen the entire time, unable to engage with the friends you invited. But, at our roastery, we want to have space to meet new friends, cultivate established relationships, and be fully present around the coffee cup.

Stay tuned as we continue to share more about this project!