Owner of new Detroit coffee shop wants place to become community hub

Craig’s Coffee will also have regular pop-up events across Metro Detroit

DETROIT – One man’s dream that started in his basement is now brewing with a new business opening in Detroit’s Cass Corridor.

There are a variety of aromatic coffee roasts catching the community’s attention in Craig’s Coffee at 412 Peterboro Street.

“I have coffee from Brazil, Costa Rica, Columbia, and Guatemala,” said Craig Batory as he moved about the shop. “I just have this Dominican Republic coffee that came in that I’ve been fortunate enough to get.”

Craig’s Coffee is a coffee lover’s dream. It’s where Batory enjoys roasting various imported and domestic coffee beans. He’s packaging the blends for sale.

“When I moved out here, it was always kind of like a dream of mine to have a roastery or a space where I could, like, offer an opportunity to other folks,” Batory said.

The California native said he has big dreams in Detroit, where he’s spent the past decade. Batory admits the path to opening the business wasn’t easy.

“If you can believe it, kind of, COVID pushed me into it,” Batory said.

The coffee enthusiast said he lost work during the pandemic but had a roaster in his basement.

He sold coffee to friends and others as a hobby.

“That really just sort of kickstarted things in an unexpected way,” Batory said.

Things started to grow for Batory. Fast forward three and a half years and Craig’s Coffee is here.

Batory and a group of community members celebrated the grand opening of Craig’s Coffee on Wednesday (Sept. 20) afternoon.

The business is a Round 20 Motor City Match Award recipient. It earned an $80,000 grant to help toward the opening. The Detroit-based program helps small business entrepreneurs realize their dreams of opening or sustaining.

“I have this space that I want to have open to the community to utilize for their own business or entrepreneurs to utilize,” Batory said.

Craig’s Coffee will also have regular pop-up events where the community will be invited to grab a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

For more information about Craig’s Coffee, click here.