We actually exist in the non-virtual world. Here's our Adeline street store front.

We actually exist in the non-virtual world. Here's our Adeline street store front.

About Sweet Maria's Coffee

Sweet Maria's was founded by Thompson Owen, alongside Maria Troy, in a dimly-lit Columbus, Ohio basement in 1997. The two met through the Masters program at School of the Art Institute Chicago. Thompson (or Thom/Tom) takes charge of Sweet Maria's green coffee side, and does much of the writing and photography. He evaluates incoming coffee samples and travels to meet our sources around the world. Maria, now retired from the business, led the business and logistical ends prior.

Coffee options weren't great in 1997. Having done a roasting stint before (in New Orleans...a different story!), Thompson wanted to find green coffee and roast it at home. That was no easy task back then.

A local roaster offered to sell green coffee at 10% off the roasted price. It dawned on Tom that, factoring in 18-20% weight loss, he was actually paying extra for the favor of having them not roast his coffee. Given that all their coffee tasted smoky because they didn't maintain their machines, he figured it was still worth it. But it seemed like there must be a better way.

Here's our little old shop in Columbus, Ohio way back in 1999!

Here's our little old shop in Columbus, Ohio way back in 1999!

Where We Started

Armed with a cursory knowledge of how to code html in a text editor, Tom made a web site. Then, realizing that doing business in a dark basement was generally a bummer, he found a small, well-lit, and rather well-hidden retail location 9 E. 2nd Avenue in Columbus. While SM then became a small coffee shop and roastery (with a 12 kg Diedrich), it was really just a location to do the home coffee roasting mail order business.

Tom and Maria moved the company to Emeryville, CA in 2002. Emeryville is a city wedged between Oakland and Berkeley, across the bay from San Francisco. It used to have the largest scrap heap of crushed cars in the state. Now, there’s a giant Ikea and a fancy shopping center. Times change.

We moved to our first Oakland warehouse on 21st Street in 2005. It was a huge upgrade for us ... but we grew out of it as well. At times we had coffee and merchandise stacked to the ceilings. Ever play the video game Tetris? Well, our amazing crew had to play the real life version every day with boxes and bags of coffee.

Our Emeryville warehouse on 64th Street was 5000 square feet. That's small by coffee business standards but to us it was huge!

Our Emeryville warehouse on 64th Street was 5000 square feet. That's small by coffee business standards but to us it was huge!

We got our very first forklift in Emeryville so we didn’t have to break our backs unloading coffee one bag at a time.

We got our very first forklift in Emeryville so we didn’t have to break our backs unloading coffee one bag at a time.

Our current Oakland warehouse. More room for coffee and a more spacious/safer place to work.

Our current Oakland warehouse. More room for coffee and a more spacious/safer place to work.

Our retail space and will-call pick up area.

Our retail space and will-call pick up area.

Back to The Present

We moved up the street to our current Oakland warehouse during the summer of 2016 and are still only a few minutes from the port of Oakland, the Specialty Coffee port in the US. The majority of top grade coffees come through here - and you know it, New Jersey! Cupping with local coffee brokers and picking up coffee from the local warehouses has made up for all the annoyances that come along with being based near some of the trendier areas in California.

We have a staff of dedicated folks that work tirelessly through the week to make sure your orders are shipped to you ASAP. This location is larger than the last, which means more room for coffee and our staff can work a little more comfortably.

Get In Touch

info@sweetmarias.com
2823 Adeline Street, Oakland, CA 94608
(510) 371-4882

Get In Touch

Don't know where to start?

Check out our guide on How to Pick A Home Roaster. and see our available Home Roasting Starter Kits.

Ready to start roasting?

Learn the basics of How to Roast Coffee and more in our Coffee Library

Need more help?

Send us an email or fill out our contact form

If you are vision-impaired or have another impairment covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or a similar law, and you would like to discuss possible accommodations when using this website, please contact us at info@sweetmarias.com.