Something new appears to be brewing at the site of a closed coffee shop in East Atlanta.
A project called Raani Coffee is planned for 720 Moreland Avenue SE, according to a recent building permit application with the city. The space used to be occupied by Hodgepodge Coffeehouse, which closed in December 2023 after 12 years. Ownership cited a significant rent hike as a key reason for the closure.
According to the building permit application, the new business going into the space comes from Praveena Sundarraj, the founder of Dryft Coffee. The Birmingham-based company operates a mobile coffee bar, sourcing coffees from farms owned by women or farms with majority women employees.
“Growing up on our 4th generation tea farm in India, we grew our own coffee which is what ignited my passion,” Sundarraj writes on the Dryft Coffee website. “The smell of roasted coffee takes me back to my childhood when we’d gather with women from the community to process the cherries by hand.”
Sundarraj posted on Instagram in December 2024 that she would be moving to Atlanta.
“We’ve got some exciting opportunities on the horizon, and we can’t wait to share what’s next for our Dryft Coffee Camper in Birmingham,” she wrote.
The scope of work for the buildout of the new coffee shop includes new finishes, new lighting, a coffee roasting room, and a small kitchen. There are plans for both indoor and outdoor seating.
Dryft Coffee LLC was created in the state in January 2025, according to a filing with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office. But it appears that as of now, the coffee shop on Moreland Avenue SE will not be branded as Dryft Coffee, with the project referred to as “Raani Coffee” in planning documents.
