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Roastology is located at 2701 W. Cary St.
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Roastology exudes "Seattle coffee shop" vibes with woodwork, plants and earth tones.
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(From left) Roasters Mary Doerr and Julia Thomas, with co-owner Dan Allen
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The main counter space inside Roastology; customers can buy their blends in house along with coffee accessories.
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Roastology serves pour-overs, cold brew, French presses, coffee flights and a variety of espresso-based beverages.
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Roasters Doerr, 29, and Thomas, 22, inside the roasting facility
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Roastology is designed so that guests can have an insider's look into the roasting facility.
“Where should we meet for coffee?” is an age-old question among friends and colleagues — it's also the phrase that stuck with co-owner Dan Allen while shaping the vision for his relaunched coffee shop, Roastology.
After moving the cafe and roasting operation from its former space on Midlothian Turnpike, Allen believes Roastology’s new home at 2701 W. Cary St. presents an opportunity for the business to transition from a destination coffee shop to a walkable neighborhood cafe.
“We had been looking for [a new space] for quite a while,” says Allen, who opened the original location with his wife, Elise, in June 2013, first naming it Adbibo Coffee Company before the change to Roastology.
“It was a good space, good for roasting, and we had a lot of customers that were regulars, but it’s not a good space for a coffee shop,” Allen explains. “Here, you’re in the center of the neighborhood. We’re very excited. This is a great location, and we really look forward to meeting the neighborhood.”
Allen first became fascinated with the world of java after befriending a roaster while living in Alaska. Hobby roasting shortly followed, along with aspirations for his own shop.
“The more I got into it, the more it interested me how much variety there is, the science,” he says. “It’s more than just coffee, it’s a social event, an experience and enjoyment of taste.”
Roastology has been reborn in a former woodworking shop and gas station turned stylish coffee oasis. Two-top tables finished with resin-covered coffee beans, topped with mini beakers turned plant vessels, are arranged near the garage-style windows, and leather couches and chairs sit snugly near the fireplace, while greenery accents the open 5,000-square-foot space throughout.
Head Roaster Mary Doerr, who began with Roastology in 2014 and has been working in the coffee world for over a decade, says the design for the space was inspired by trips to Seattle coffee shops, particularly the roasting and production area, which is visible through an interior window in the cafe.
“I thought, people want to be a bit more included, and it allows them to be able to drink the coffee and watch us roast,” says Doerr, who began roasting after being a barista for a year and then attending Coffee Lab International’s School of Coffee.
“It was a dream of mine [to roast], and to be casually offered [the chance] blew my mind,” she says. “[Allen] showed me a couple trial runs, and I loved it so much. It's so scientific, and doing blends is mathematical — I've always loved math.”
The science of coffee is intertwined with Roastology’s identity, with blends boasting names including Dark Matter, Supernova and Galactic Grind. The new facility allows the shop to house a larger roaster, doubling its production, and offer more experimental blends.
“We’re still small enough to have craft roasting and small-batch [beans], but this gives us more capability,” explains Allen, a Colorado native.
The entire team from Roastology’s former location has shifted to the new space, including 22-year-old Julia Thomas, who began as a barista and also moved to the roasting front.
“I feel like we’ll be included more in the Richmond coffee community, and it will be fun to be a part of that family,” Thomas says of the new location. “We all learn from each other, and a lot of baristas will go to other shops to learn through cuppings and events. … I’m excited for that aspect.”
Roastology coffee is currently sold at the Carytown and Midlothian Kroger locations, Little House Green Grocery, area Wegmans, and Shield’s Market, and it's served at eateries including Sugar & Twine and Perch. The business is also a family affair: The shop's largest wholesale customer is Zebra House Coffee, a California-based shop owned by Allen’s daughter.
Roastology offers breakfast all day, its menu blending traditional offerings such as egg sandwiches and avocado toast with small appetizers including baked brie or veggie and pickle plates, in addition to salads and a variety of grilled cheeses and other sandwiches.
Roastology is currently open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Sundays.
