Bent Tree Coffee in Kent moves roasting operation to renovated factory on N. Mantua Street

Diane Smith, Record-Courier
·4 min read

A former factory on North Mantua in Kent is being transformed into a mixed use building that will house a coffee roaster, offices and other uses.

The Kent Planning Commission recently approved a conditional use permit and site plan for the renovation of a building at 716 N. Mantua St. at the corner of Mantua Street and Cuyahoga Avenue, which will become a mixed-use building with several tenants. One of those tenants is Bent Tree Coffee, which plans to relocate its retail and wholesale roasting operation to the building.

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The building, owned by Architect Peter Paino and Ben Koberna, is 17,645 square feet The owners plan a variety of uses there, including offices and "light manufacturing," such as the roastery. Paino also is planning to use part of the building for storage related to his architecture business.

Paino said 14,135 square feet of the building will be used for light manufacturing, with 2,200 square feet reserved for non-retail business use, such as offices. There are no immediate plans for the remaining 1,310 square feet of the building.

Mike Nold, general manager, pours the green beans into the roaster at Bent Tree Coffee Company's production facility on Mogadore Road in Kent. The roastery plans to relocate to a building on North Mantua Street in Kent.
Mike Nold, general manager, pours the green beans into the roaster at Bent Tree Coffee Company's production facility on Mogadore Road in Kent. The roastery plans to relocate to a building on North Mantua Street in Kent.

KCommunity Development Director Bridget Susel said that because a conditional use permit governs the use of the building, the owners will need to come back for approval if the ratio of the uses in the building changes. However, he will not need approval if the tenants themselves change.

Ryan Brannon, owner of Bent Tree Coffee Roasters, said he plans to move his company's wholesale roasting operation to the structure. The roastery now shares space with the Madcap Brewing Co. on Mogadore Road in Kent, but the brewery plans to expand and he will eventually need to move out.

Roasted beans for the Guatemala Huehuetenango flavor are finished in the roaster at Bent Tree Coffee Company's production facility on Mogadore Road in Kent. The roastery plans to relocate to a building on North Mantua Street that is being renovated as a mixed use structure.
Roasted beans for the Guatemala Huehuetenango flavor are finished in the roaster at Bent Tree Coffee Company's production facility on Mogadore Road in Kent. The roastery plans to relocate to a building on North Mantua Street that is being renovated as a mixed use structure.

Brannon said he's been in the space for about six years. Bent Tree also has a coffee shop at 313 N. Water St. and roasts coffee for the shop there, while the larger roastery is used to package beans for wholesale, and for sale to 65 grocery retailers, including Heinens, Whole Foods, Giant Eagle and Acme. Some Kent businesses, including Wild Goats café, also are customers, and Kent retailers get their coffee delivered free.

His space in the North Mantua Street building will be 1,900 square feet, slightly larger than the space he occupies now.

Adam Jimenez, production and delivery, fills and seals bags of beans at Bent Tree Coffee Roastery's production facility on Mogadore Road in Kent. The business is moving to a building on North Mantua Street, which is being renovated as a mixed use space.
Adam Jimenez, production and delivery, fills and seals bags of beans at Bent Tree Coffee Roastery's production facility on Mogadore Road in Kent. The business is moving to a building on North Mantua Street, which is being renovated as a mixed use space.

The coffee beans are shipped to the roastery raw from all over the world, and can be kept in that state for a year or more. Once they are roasted, however, they must be vacuum sealed in bags, a process in which oxygen is removed and a puff of nitrogen is added. Once sealed, the roasted beans can be kept for four months or so.

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The roastery is certified organic by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association and the Federal Food and Drug Association. A small amount of non-organic beans are stored separately. Because the organic certification requires inspection, Brannon plans to keep his existing roastery running until inspections of the new space are complete.

The roastery uses a computer screen to measure the consistency of the roast, ensuring that every batch is roasted to the same temperature. That's critical, especially when selling beans in retail stores, where customers expect their beans to taste the same when buying them again.

"Consistency is really important in the roasting process," he said. "We take our roasting very seriously."

The "green beans" are measured and roasted in 18 pound batches, then bagged and packaged for sale.

"We're a small batch roaster, and we think that adds to our quality," he said.

Roasted beans for the Guatemala Huehuetenango at Bent Tree Coffee Roasters need to cool down after the roasting. The coffee roastery plans to relocate from a space inside Madcap Brewing Co. in Kent to a building on North Mantua Street.
Roasted beans for the Guatemala Huehuetenango at Bent Tree Coffee Roasters need to cool down after the roasting. The coffee roastery plans to relocate from a space inside Madcap Brewing Co. in Kent to a building on North Mantua Street.

The business started shipping to retail outlets just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and retail production went up during the pandemic. He credits his staff for not missing a delivery through the pandemic.

Brannon said he and his staff are careful not to over roast their beans.

"We don't go real dark on anything," he said, describing bins of coffee beans in grocery stores. "We never roast anything to get that dark, because once you get that dark, you kill all the flavor in the coffee, and you're left with a burnt taste."

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Coffee roaster, other uses to occupy Kent building