Silverbird Roasting Touches Down with First Cafe in Minneapolis

Inside the new Silverbird Coffee & More in Minneapolis. All images courtesy of Silverbird.

Landing in the Kingfield neighborhood of south Minneapolis is the first brick-and-mortar cafe of the champion-piloted roasting company Silverbird Roasting.

Coffees roasted by 2016 U.S. Coffee Roasting Champion and Silverbird Roasting Co-Founder Tony Querio are making their way to the 1,800-square-foot cafe, called Silverbird Coffee & More, which aims for sky-high quality and comfort. 

A condiment counter made from airline beverage galley carts nods to the brand’s aviation theme. Decorative references to classic rock, the space race, diners and daredevils round out the vibes. Preserved 100-year-old wood flooring and exposed ceiling beams celebrate the building’s history. 

Behind a white-tiled, stone-topped bar, a matte black Synesso MVP Hydra espresso machine features a custom illuminated back panel.

“Our hope was to create a space comfortable to a wide range of people,” Querio recently told Daily Coffee News. “We wanted a stylized space, but not obtrusive to the experience — a space that was inspiring.”

Brass pieces throughout tie in with a prominent brass draft system behind the bar supplying flash-chilled iced coffee, sparkling water and locally made tonic. Five other taps will soon serve teas, beer and other beverages. 

Saint Paul-based Vikings & Goddesses provides fresh-baked sweet and savory options plus the croissant loaf Silverbird uses for sandwiches in its onsite kitchen. Salads, overnight oats, chia pudding and bar syrups are also made in-house.

Signature drinks include The Woodsman, a latte with house maple ginger syrup and birch nectar, topped with cinnamon and ginger.

High chairs, coloring pages and tiny bottled apple juices are available for young children. A cookie butter and strawberry jam sandwich called The After School Special is “for the kid in all of us.”

Querio, who also took home the silver in the Specialty Coffee Association-sanctioned U.S. Roasters Championship in 2017, roasted for Spyhouse Coffee Roasters for seven years until 2020. He and his wife and business partner Caitlin Querio then co-founded Silverbird and Acorn Coffee Club, a direct-to-consumer subscription service. 

“I knew with my history in the coffee community, especially in Minneapolis, there would likely be interest from cafes wanting our product, but we wanted to maintain the subscription-only model for Acorn,” Tony Querio said. “Having them separate allowed us to market specifically to two different demographics with differing interests in coffee.”

The couple decided to retire the Acorn project earlier this year to focus on the new cafe, where Caitlin Querio now runs day-to-day front-of-house operations. Meanwhile, Tony Querio oversees a 20-kilo Mill City Roasters machine in a 3,000-square-foot off-site roastery, working with green coffees from Cafe Imports and Trabocca.

“We look for coffees that are clean and balanced with a preference for sweetness and complexity. We lean towards exceptional examples of the classics,” Tony Querio said. “Our program is built around featuring excellent, consistent coffees that you’ll want to return to. Some of the best feedback we get from our wholesale relationships is that our Super Nova is really dependable and easy to work with. The baristas don’t have to battle to keep it dialed in.”

Now a little more than two weeks since liftoff in Kingfield, Silverbird is planning educational programming for staff while also looking to grow its wholesale business. A patio on the north side is planned for next summer.

“Coffee and creativity are so closely paired,” Querio said of the long-term vision. “While our coffee may not change the world, we hope to fuel you while you change the world.”

Silverbird Coffee & More is located at 4237 Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis. 

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