Atlanta · United States

East Pole Coffee Co.

East Pole Coffee Co. roasts in Atlanta, Georgia.

Since 2015 · Jared Karr, Jules Tompkins, Matt Chesla

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

roaster machine: Started on 5lb U.S. Roaster Corps; now produces in-house at Armour Yards
cupping frequency: weekly cuppings open to public
roastery location: Armour Yards, Atlanta (255 Ottley Drive)

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

Keep exploring