Meet Our Partner: SK Coffee
Say hello to SK Coffee, our favorite cup of local java. Partnering with Minneapolis Craft Market since 2018, SK has been a steady supplier of caffeine, warmth, and incredible flavors at our past in-person markets.
SK Coffee is a specialty coffee roastery exploring premium single-origin coffee, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. SK calls St. Paul’s Vandalia Tower home, holding their roastery and future coffee bar and retail space. They have grown to retail and wholesale, offer a membership program, and coffee subscription service (does it get better than that?). There is integrity and passion throughout SK’s team, from genuine relationships with farmers, to the complexities of their roasts, to their recent pledge to the community.
Choose Your Favorite SK Coffee Roast
SK’s coffee comes in four color-coded categories: smooth, bold, sweet, & unique. Try them all!
The coffee is the hero, the coffee is the hero
We sat down (virtually) with our friend Sam Kjellberg, Founder, CEO, and roaster at SK.
MCM: What does SK mean to you personally?
SK: First, SK Coffee quite literally contains my initials, so you could say it means a lot to me personally. We love the initials because it suggests a person is standing behind their craft as well as gives a certain level of intimacy; we don't like hiding behind what we do, but stand by it! SK has, of course, become far more than just a personal "apartment roasting" project; it is now this beautiful environment to explore the possibilities of coffee. In a previous life I was studying to become a conductor/professor in music academia. There, I gained inspiration in finding the source, discovering its intricacies and various perspectives, and then bringing a community of people around that curiosity. Coffee is no different. We specialize in single origin coffee. That definition changes from lot to lot, but at its core we believe it holds us to the standard of discovering and exposing the great work done by the makers at origin: the farmers and producers.
MCM: Have you had to pivot the business due to COVID-19? If so, how?
SK: Interestingly, we haven't necessarily had to pivot, per se, but rather, we have re-leaned into the programs we already created. Namely, our subscription and membership programs. Since the beginning of our business we have tried building an environment of discovery and curiosity, all surrounding the coffee. Our internal mantra is "the coffee is the hero, the coffee is the hero." That environment has and will continue to live online, on the grocery shelves, and soon will have a presence in our first coffee bar and retail roastery space (at the Vandalia Tower). In essence, we realized just how relevant they could be during a time like this. With this said, we had to simultaneously understand and grapple with the delay of our coffee bar, retail roastery, and wholesale growth trajectory...not a freefall but definitely a stalling point.
MCM: Describe the new gift box collaboration and what it contains!
SK: We are really excited to be collaborating in the creation of the bespoke MCM Holiday Gift Box! SK has been selling gift boxes at MCM markets for the past few years and folks love them. We always collaborate with makers and this year we thought, 'hey, if we can't do this in person, maybe MCM could be the focal point of an online gift box? A curation similar to what MCM does at the market level.' The box will have a bag of SK, something special for each box, as well as an artistically created set of mugs by Samantha Longley; Samantha's clay is the definition of functional art.
MCM: What's your current favorite SK bean?
SK: Favorite SK offering right now...tough question...BUT, I'd say it is tied between two direct-trade partnerships we have. One is a single variety called Tabi, naturally processed (dried inside the cherry for upwards of a month), from our partners at Finca la Julia in Valle del Cauca in Colombia. Literally takes like strawberry jam and rich raw cacao nibs. Wow! Also, we are about to get a really special coffee from Finca Bet'el, also from Valle del Cauca in Colombia. The coffee is a variety blend of Caturra and Bourbon, processed using a house process called Especiado (spiced). Essentially, they do a complicated series of fermentations with the coffee AND add spices to the microbes in order to encourage notes of bakers spice, cinnamon, and cloves. Truly one of the most unique things I've ever come across!
2020 Bespoke MCM Holiday Gift Box
Just launched! SK Coffee and Samantha Longley Clay have teamed up to bring you a beautiful coffee gift set perfect for the holidays. The set contains:
1 12oz bag of SK Coffee
2 handcrafted Samantha Longley Clay ceramic cups (your choice of black/white/combo)
1 reusable handmade wooden gift box with sliding lid
These handmade cups will fit like a gem in your hand. Their soft movement and quirkiness allow for a pleasant grip and satisfyingly sweet aesthetic experience. The matte glaze has a smooth, muted texture and is the perfect finish to this delightful minimalist piece. Every cup is unique and made to order with great care and love in Samantha's Minneapolis studio. Please note that the exact cup you will receive may vary slightly from the photos. All are handmade in the same style and are very nearly the same size.
This special box is currently available for preorder; Be sure to order yours while you can!
This product is a pre-order:
Orders received by the 15th of the month will ship on the 18th. Orders received between the 16th and last day of the month will ship on the 3rd of the following month. We do this so that your coffee is roasted fresh to order and arrives in perfect condition. All domestic orders received by December 16 will be shipped via USPS Priority mail to reach their destination in time for Christmas.
