Horizon Line Coffee

Overview

Horizon Line was opened in 2017 by Brad Penna and Nam Ho, two Southern California friends and former higher-education colleagues who trained at Arcade Coffee Roasters in Riverside before relocating to Iowa for a more affordable city to start their roastery. Their Walnut Street cafe in the West End Artist District serves a SoCal-inflected menu — Gibraltar instead of cortado — and has since been named Best Coffee in Iowa by Food & Wine in 2018, 2019, and 2022.

Known for

• Iowa's flagship specialty coffee bar and roastery (2017)
• Best Coffee in Iowa — Food & Wine, 2018, 2019, 2022
• Glass Revolution reusable-jar program for to-go beverages
• California-influenced menu including The Traveler (espresso, Coca-Cola, bitters, allspice, vanilla)
• Light-leaning roast profile emphasizing sweetness, acidity, and body

Why it matters

Penna and Ho took the West Coast specialty playbook and translated it for the Midwest, giving Des Moines a brand that travels with national third-wave readers and gave Iowa its own seat at the specialty table.

Production

destoning

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head roaster

Brad Penna

color sorting

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roaster machine

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filter equipment

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cupping frequency

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roastery location

1417 Walnut St, Des Moines, IA (in-house at the cafe)

espresso equipment

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annual volume tonnes

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Café

1417 Walnut St, Suite B, Des Moines, IA 50309

Recognitions

• Best Coffee in Iowa — Food & Wine (2018, 2019, 2022)

Sources

• https://www.horizonlinecoffee.com/
• https://www.horizonlinecoffee.com/about
• https://imbibemagazine.com/horizon-line-coffee-des-moines/
• https://dailycoffeenews.com/2017/08/11/horizon-line-broadens-the-coffee-landscape-in-des-moines/
• https://www.instagram.com/horizonlinecoffee/