ROASTING WORKS - FULTON STREET

In February of 1997, two years after opening their retail store on Broadway, Doug Zell and Emily Mange moved the 12-kilo Probat roaster from the store into a 4000 square foot warehouse in the nearby Bucktown neighborhood. They had outgrown the confines of their retail store and needed space for the wholesale business to grow.

The Big Guy Our 90 Kilo roaster was added after moving to Fulton Street.

Chicago had become a rising star in the culinary community. Young chefs placed an emphasis on quality, fresh ingredients, and Intelligentsia both contributed to and benefited from the city’s awakening palate. A 23-kilo, then a 40-kilo soon joined the little roaster. After a year of operations in the Bucktown neighborhood they had roasted what seemed like an amazing 50,000 pounds of coffee!

In four busy years, the Bucktown space had become entirely too cramped: there wasn't enough space for green coffee, the parking for the delivery truck (and basketball court) had been overtaken by dry goods, and the production staff was literally rubbing elbows! In October of 2001, the Roasting Works staff packed up everything and moved a few miles South to a 25,000 square foot warehouse located at 1850 W. Fulton Street. Heading into the busiest time of year, dismantling antique coffee roasters, hooking up gas lines, power and water, all while still providing our customers with great service and fresh coffee, was difficult to say the least. The new Roasting Works is vast and sparkling, with plenty of space for the next step in Intelligentsia’s evolution.