When it comes to coffee, there are macro-roasters and there are micro-roasters.
In the case of Hansa Coffee Roasters, which will open this August in downtown Libertyville, "we're a micro roaster, basically," said Tom Maegdlin. He plans to open the shop with his fiancee and their business partner, longtime Libertyville resident Kevin Kane.
"We take a very culinary approach to it," said Maegdlin. While the focus in the coffee world has largely been on convenience, the coffee at Hansa Coffee Roasters "has a more refined feel to it." Maegdlin compared the product to coffees brewed by companies like Intelligentsia.
"We're extremely quality-focused," said Maegdlin.
Maegdlin has been working in the coffee industry since he was 15 years old. He started out washing dishes and worked his way up to being a barista. After a move to Arizona, Maegdlin taught himself how to roast his own beans.
He eventually decided he needed to get a corporate job and became a broker, but the dream of owning his own coffee business never faded.
"I really got the bug in 2010," said Maegdlin. He started selling exclusive coffees on the Internet in 2010 as Hansa Coffee Roasters. The name, he said, comes from the Hanseatic League, who were primarily coffee-traders.
"I just wanted to get back in the industry," said Maegdlin. He was living in the Twin Cities at the time but then moved back to the northern suburbs of Illinois.
When the Caribou Coffee closed, "(my fiancée and I) thought it was time," Maegdlin said.
The couple found a space at 755 N. Milwaukee Ave., just north of the train tracks on the west side of the street, where they plan to roast and sell coffee.
The coffee at Hansa Coffee Roasters will be roasted in small batches.
"With our coffee, it's all about what the coffee tells us. We sample it, and if we like it, we'll bring it in," said Maegdlin.
The shop, he said, will have an early 19th century factory-feel that brings in the historical theme of trading and commerce.
"It'll have a shipyard, loading-dock feel, with comfortable couches," said Maegdlin. There will also be an outdoor patio where customers can relax and even wait for the train to arrive. Hansa Coffee Roasters is just a one-minute walk from the train platform, Maegdlin said.
Customers will also be able to purchase items like Rishi teas, local bakery products and higher-end equipment to brew tea and coffee at home.
"It's been almost unbelievable," Maegdlin said of seeing his dream become reality. "And Libertyville is absolutely the best place for something like this. We have a very sophisticated population, a lot of world travelers."
Check out Hansa Coffee Roasters on Facebook and on their website.
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