A popular mobile coffee shop is brewing up something new, preparing to open its first permanent location in Macungie this fall.
Roasties, run by husband-and-wife team Josh Elmer and Melinda Schneck, will debut at 17 N. Poplar St.
The mobile shop will operate until the cafe opens, then halt for a few months to focus on the new location, with plans to return to events in the spring.
The couple, who have lived in Macungie for three and a half years, were inspired by their love of coffee and decided to bring their own spot to the community.
“We’ve been open for about five months, we started in the beginning of April. We love coffee and we love coffee shops. My wife and I decided that we were going to take a stab at a mobile version first to test if there was a market out there, if people in the community were excited about what we were doing,” Elmer told What Now Philadelphia.
He continued, “The feedback’s been so good that it really exceeded our expectations or timeline for going into the cafe itself.”
Roasties will keep its beloved menu while introducing an expanded range of drinks and treats.
Hot drinks include classic espresso-based options such as lattes, cappuccinos, Americanos and mochas, along with comforting choices like hot chocolate, chai lattes and a selection of aromatic teas, including lavender chamomile, green tea and English breakfast. Cold drinks range from smooth iced lattes and slow-steeped cold brew to refreshing iced chai lattes and specialty creations such as the Bear Swamp Iced Mocha, the Roasties OG and the Hunny Bunny Cold Brew.
“We’re going to be adding decaf coffee. We’re going to be introducing drip coffee. We’re going to be doing breakfast burritos and a lot of pastries. We partnered with a local pastry chef. We’re going to keep that relationship going because she’s great,” Elmer said.
The cafe is partnering with a local roaster to provide its drip coffee, with plans to eventually expand the collaboration to espresso beverages. They also work with an organic coffee roaster from Texas, whose beans have become a community favorite.
The brick-and-mortar location features an outdoor space the couple plans to use, while the interior is being updated to add more seating, making it a welcoming spot for guests year-round.
“Our new cafe location has an enormous amount of outdoor space, it’s got a very large deck. One of our focuses is going to be maximizing that outdoor space along with modernizing and revamping the interior,” he said.
Elmer calls the shop an “affordable luxury” designed to bring the community together.
“We want to be able to build that sense of community in the community that supported us well,” he said. “The name Roasties is short. It sticks with you. It’s coffee related but just kind of simple and playful like we hope that our coffee shop is.”
While an exact opening date hasn’t been set, Roasties is aiming to debut in November. For grand opening updates, visit the shop’s website or follow on Instagram and Facebook.
