M.E. Swing Coffee Roasters Opens New Facility in Del Ray
Monroe Avenue roastery currently open only for wholesale business.
Photos
M.E. Swing Coffee Roasters opened its new facility on Monroe Avenue in Del Ray on Monday for wholesale business.
Customers looking to purchase a hot cup of Swing’s Coffee are going to have to wait a few more months until the facility’s café section is completed.
Customers can visit the facility at 501 E. Monroe Ave. and purchase coffee by the pound from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday.
The building previously housed Gold Crust Baking Company.
Swing’s Coffees, which has roasted beans in the Washington, D.C. area since 1916, had operated out of a roastery on S. Pickett Street in Alexandria’s West End since 1989.
“We just need a better area to conduct our business,” Swing’s owner Mark Warmuth told Patch in May. “We can conduct our work fine, but our current facility doesn’t give us a chance to showcase our products. … [This space] offers a lot of visibility and is good setup for us.”
In June, Swing’s Coffee received approval to open its Monroe Avenue facility from Alexandria City Council.
For the quickest updates on the Del Ray area, "like" Del Ray Patch on Facebook and follow @delraypatch on Twitter.
Kristen Gedeon
7:03 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Welcome to the neighborhood M.E. Swings! Good luck with the relocation and looking forward to the cafe's opening.
Lili Romero-DeSimone
7:10 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Best coffee!
Tom
9:08 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Welcome! Another great cafe within walking distance..cant wait!
McBrinn
9:22 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Awesome addition to the neighborhood! Welcome!
Dan L
10:36 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
For years we had M.E. Swing coffee shipped by mail to our house on Nelson Ave. Tomorrow I will be walking to your new location for my fresh supply. Welcome to the neighborhood!
Cat R
11:55 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Man, oh man. Who are those hours catering to?
Scooby's Doo
12:38 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Cat R,
Obviously the Del Ray stroller-mommie and hippies w/trust funds crowd.
McBrinn
12:57 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Scooby- not obvious at all. On my street alone there are half a dozen professionals (policy analyst, programmer, nurse, accountant, DOL and DOD employees) that either telecommute part the week (usually Thursdays and Fridays) or otherwise work the a fair chunk of their hours from home. The days of burning 3 gallons of gas so one can simply sit behind a computer across the river are fading. I have a client-facing position so I unfortunately must be in the office most days but the bulk of my work could be carried out on my lap top at home or at Swings.
Drew Hansen
1:04 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
From what I remember from the Planning Commission and City Council hearings, ownership said they weren't planning on the cafe being a place for people to bring their laptops. That might change, but it's something to be aware of.
The main purpose of this facility is to roast beans, lots of them.
McBrinn
1:10 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Thanks for the information Drew. My point was simply that not everyone sits in a cube in an office building from 8:30- 5:00. And I pity those of us unfortunate enough to do so.
Cat R
6:28 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
I just wonder how a business can be sustained when its operating hours are inside the nine-to-five workday block, which is exactly when a large number of potential customers are physically outside of Del Ray. Oh well. I don't even like coffee. :-)
amy lu
12:58 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Read the staff report
http://alexandriava.gov/CSESearch.aspx?cx=003100245762010465978%3Atms47up1nkg&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&searchtext=M.E.Swing&sa=GO
and you'll see the business model is primarily an industrial use catering to selling to commercial clients large volumes of roasted beans, not primarily a cute little coffee shop dependent on selling a pound of beans or a single cup of 'brew just for you' coffee. The cafe is secondary.
Not a bit different that Gold Crust's business model and they outgrew the space so yes it's totally possible for M.E.Swing to be VERY successful in this location.
Nicollsmith
6:42 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
I'm glad that coffee roaster is occupying the space but I have to say I'm disappointed in the pricing of the beans. I order espresso beans from Counter Culture in NC for $15.00 a pound includes shipping. It's very good espresso. I would love to find a local roaster who sells 3 pound bags at lower cost as we drink a lot of it at home. Finding a local roaster and going to the source you would think you could do this. Selling only 1 pound bags at $14.00 is not an incentive to change unfortunately.
Dan L
1:54 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013
If you have noticed the illuminated sign (visible at night) inside the M E Swing Coffee building, it is an original sign from the old 1013 E St. NW location.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwalsh/1011007913/
In the photo, it is the sign just over the entrance level overhang.
art
9:27 am on Sunday, February 3, 2013
We picked up a bag of the Mesco--very tasty! I bit pricey, yes, but worth a treat.
Jenny
12:18 pm on Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Our family has been getting M.E. Swing's coffee from their Picket St. location (or from Mancini's) for years. We like it because: It's local. They offer whole beans (even in espresso). It is comparable in price to other well known national chains.. And, the best reason......It tastes great.