If you’ve been on Manchester Street recently, you’ve probably noticed the skull and lighting bolt design that’s appeared. It’s not what you think, unless you think it’s the first craft coffee shop to come to the Distillery District. Manchester Coffee Co. opened next to Manchester Music Hall on March 20.
A coffee shop is an interesting place where ideas start and finish. The idea of Manchester Coffee Co. was born in another coffee shop. Chase Fairchild, Sam Duff, and Maddie Duff co-founded Manchester Coffee Co. as a place dedicated for people to be creative. As childhood friends who grew up together in Lexington, the three wanted to prove you don’t need to leave this city to create something amazing.
“There is something happening here, something stirring,” says Fairchild. “The Distillery District and Lexington are both growing, and only more will come.”
The unique, stylish aesthetic of the shop sets Manchester Coffee Co. apart. Coffee is a form of storytelling and the coffee shop uses its branding to tell its own story.
“The skull represents commonality. We are all humans who want to live fulfilled lives. The lightning bolt represents inspiration, creativity and caffeine,” says Fairchild.
The skull and lighting bolt show the yin and yang of a coffee shop. It can be fast paced or slow paced. People come to coffee shops to crank out work, but also unplug.
Manchester Coffee uses beans from Red Rooster Coffee out of Floyd, Virginia, a small town with a population of 432. Within the next two weeks, Manchester Coffee will have two roasters offsite to roast their own beans with hopes to roast in house one day.
Roasting is a passion of Jeff Ross, the Director of Coffee at Manchester Coffee. After dropping out of college the day before his junior year, Ross moved to Ireland where he fell in love with making coffee even though he hated drinking it. The pursuit of perfection is what keeps him in this industry.
“I can’t get bored with coffee. There are so many variables with it. Where it’s grown, how it’s processed and roasted, how the barista grinds it, and ultimately how the customer drinks it. That’s more than any other craft beverage in the world.”
Manchester Coffee focuses on craft coffee, but will partner with Sunrise Bakery for pastries.
“We have big ideas for Lexington, particularly the Distillery District, and the shop is our first step,” says Duff.
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