East Pole Coffee Co.

Overview

East Pole was founded in 2015 by high-school friends Jared Karr and Jules Tompkins (with early partner Matt Chesla) after Karr returned from working with rural-entrepreneurship NGO programs in Indonesia — the country he affectionately called 'The East Pole.' They started filling bags on a ping-pong table in a friend's Grant Park garage with a 5-pound U.S. Roaster Corps machine, then opened the Armour Yards roastery and coffee bar in September 2017.

Known for

• Atlanta-based specialty roaster with in-view roastery
• Award-winning coffee program
• 'Traffic' house blend (an Atlanta in-joke)
• Origin connection from founder's Indonesian NGO years
• Hospitality-first cafe culture

Why it matters

Atlanta's foundational specialty roaster with national wholesale reach — built from an uninsulated garage to one of the South's most consistently-rated cafes through methodical sourcing and hospitality discipline.

Production

destoning

null

head roaster

null

color sorting

null

roaster machine

Started on 5lb U.S. Roaster Corps; now produces in-house at Armour Yards

filter equipment

null

cupping frequency

weekly cuppings open to public

roastery location

Armour Yards, Atlanta (255 Ottley Drive)

espresso equipment

null

annual volume tonnes

null

Café

255 Ottley Drive NE, Suite 105, Atlanta, GA 30324

Recognitions

• Food & Wine Best Coffee Roaster in Georgia (twice)
• Creative Loafing Best Coffee Shop in Atlanta

Sources

• https://eastpole.coffee/pages/about-us
• https://eastpole.coffee/blogs/news/east-pole-celebrates-3-years-at-255-ottley-drive-about-our-company
• https://www.atlantacoffeeshops.com/blog/closer-to-home-east-pole-coffee-company-atlanta
• https://www.teaandcoffee.net/news/2323/east-pole-coffee-open-first-coffee-shop-atlanta/
• https://voyageatl.com/interview/meet-jared-karr-east-pole-coffee-co-midtown/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/east-pole-coffee-company