Midsouth Coffee and Tea Co., a Memphis-based coffee company, is opening its first brick-and-mortar in Downtown Memphis, located at 20 Mina Avenue.
Owner Jerry Sanders recently secured a five-year lease on a 1,150-square-foot property, according to the Daily Memphian. Customers can expect a variety of lattes, shots of espresso, tea, and drip coffee, as well as local baked goods, refrigerated drinks, and merchandise. Sanders was hesitant to give an exact opening date but said it would likely be sometime next year, possibly Spring 2024, if everything goes perfectly. Sanders tells What Now Memphis he was just awarded a $30,000 grant from the Center City Development Corp.
“We believe our niche location would provide an intimate and vibrant amenity for those living in the neighboring communities,” Sanders said in his application to the Center City Development Corp.
Sanders tells What Now his meeting with the CCDC, an affiliate of the Downtown Memphis Commission, went amazing, and he’s excited to be a part of the community. While the ink is still drying on the documents from today’s meeting, Sanders has already been approached by others asking if he would bring the concept to their neighborhood.
Plans for an expansion aren’t out of the question, according to Sanders. He says that he decided on the downtown location because it was where people wanted him, and it was an area in which he felt they were reflected in that community. For now, he says he will focus on opening the company’s first brick-and-mortar, which has an overall project cost of $150,000, before thinking about any expansion, but he says it’s definitely possible. Sanders is already investing up to $25,000 in the first location and hopes to see how successful it is before officially looking for a second site.
