By Kelli Samson
Just because you haven’t heard much Hawthorne Coffee yet doesn’t mean it’s an amateur operation. Owner and head roaster Andy Cronin has been around the block when it comes to your morning latte. Allow me to introduce you.
Cronin’s first job in high school was at one of the only coffee houses in his small Nebraska town. After attending the University of Nebraska for a year, he left for England, where he found himself working as a barista at Britain’s mirror of Starbucks, the Coffee Republic.
It was then that he was sent to London to train “with some really cool Italian guys,” recalls Cronin. He began to find his passion while roasting alongside them in the basement of the coffee shop.
“It turns out that roasting really satisfies some kind of sensory need I have,” laughs Cronin. “It’s sight, sound, smell, and taste. I’m there in my zone, focusing on what I’m doing.”
It was also in London that Cronin met his wife. The two eventually settled in Olympia, near her hometown of Centralia. Since his arrival in our fair city, Cronin has worked his way up through the coffee chain. He began at Batdorf and Bronson, back when they were located in a miniature location across the street from their current, spacious flagship. He helped to open their Dancing Goats location by the Olympia Farmers Market. Following that, he honed his skills at Batdorf’s roasterie, where he was in charge of training and education.
Cronin went on to compete in barista competitions, making friends with his competitors. Together, they created the Barista Guild of America. He served as its chair for a year. He then managed Batdorf’s large downtown location for six months before going to work for Raven’s Brew Coffee, originally out of Alaska. He managed their roasting spaces in Anchorage, Ketchikan, and Tumwater for six years.
“I went from being behind a roaster to being behind a desk. That was hard for me. I’m very hands-on,” recalls Cronin.
Oliver Stormshak, the owner of Olympia Coffee Roasters and an old co-worker from his days at Batdorf, sold Cronin his first roaster. He set it up in the garage at his family’s home on Hawthorne Street in east Olympia, and he’s been roasting his own coffee ever since.
“I roasted at home for as long as I could, until one of my neighbors decided she didn’t like the smell of burnt toast every morning,” chuckles Cronin. “I was roasting at 3:00 a.m. to try to avoid offending people.”
Cronin’s roasting operation is now located across the street from his new coffee shop, located at 1025 Black Lake Boulevard, which opened July first. It’s at this roasterie that he and business partner Chief Ryan toast their tasty beans. This pair are the same roasters that brought Olympia Firefly Coffee and, until last spring, Dino’s Coffee.
“I’ve got a lot of wholesale customers who’ve been with me since Firefly, which is really cool.” says Cronin. “Burial Grounds is one of them. They’ve followed me through all the iterations. I love all of the relationships this business affords me, whether they’re with staff, with customers, wholesale customers, our importers, our vendors. There are a lot of different kinds of relationships I get to have in this business, and they’re all unique.”
Cronin currently has been training a new roaster to take over for him while he is gone with the Army National Guard this fall and winter.
“I’ve got a good partner and a roaster, Yuri, who’s been with us for a long time,” assures Cronin.
Hawthorne Coffee is spacious and filled with custom touches made by Ryan, who also owns a remodeling company. There’s free wi-fi, and they serve their house-roasted coffee and wrap sandwiches. The teas hail from Flying Bird Botanicals in Bellingham and the pastries are from the San Francisco Street Bakery. All summer they’ve been serving up a collection of blended, iced drinks using cold brewed coffee – manna from heaven for many Olympian’s during our extraordinarily hot summer days.
Hawthorne Coffee is in the perfect location for parents of students who attend Studio West Dance Academy. Located just across the parking lot, it’s a nice treat after dropping your kiddo at dance class on time.
So, yes, Hawthorne Coffee is new, but Cronin is decidedly not. One cup will prove it.
“I love roasting, but I really love getting to share that experience with other people. I love that we have regular customers that show up every morning. Coffee is a catalyst for us to provide this space for people to come and just be.”
Hawthorne Coffee Shop
Facebook: Hawthorne Coffee House
1025 Black Lake Boulevard
Olympia
360-350-0111
Mon-Fri: 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun: 6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
