TRAVERSE CITY – After you’ve brewed two pots of coffee, what’s a third? Or a fourth?
Even before its third site is open for business, Mundos Roasting & Co. is brewing a fourth. With existing locations on Woodmere Avenue and Suttons Bay, Dan Clark is doubling down on his family cafes by opening two more in the spring.
Earlier this fall, Clark announced that he would be opening a second location in Traverse City at 720 W. Front St., which he calls Mundos West. Earlier this week, Clark told his employees at a Christmas party that he was bringing another Mundos to the 4Front Credit Union building at 305 W. Front St., also in the spring of 2022.
Even though the two new locations are less than a mile apart (a bit further considering the West Front Street Bridge under construction), Clark is ready to serve coffee connoisseurs in a number of ways.
“Our thinking behind this is the place on the west side of the division, what we call Mundos West, it’s going to be designed for shorter wait times and a more streamlined menu,” Clark said. “It’s gonna be more take a cup and go.”
“Mundos 305 will have a more diverse menu, plus a place to have a drink and be a place for large groups and meetings. It will be designed for that; a place where you can sit, have a coffee and enjoy it.
“There’s going to be tons of light in there. It’s going to be drastically different and that’s going to be the cool part of it all. “
Mundos Roasting & Co. launched in Traverse City at 708 Boon Street on November 13, 2017. Mundos North followed in Suttons Bay at 206 N. St. Joseph St. in April 2019.
The reason for the expansion and shifting from one location in Traverse City to three was simple, Clark said in an email.
“We love Traverse City,” Clark said in an email. “We are won over by the natural grandeur that exists here, the life we live and the moments we share. But most of all, we love people. We want to create spaces where people discover the beauty of coffee and the community.
Mundos is above all a family business. Sons Adam and Jack join Dan Clark as one of the company’s five owners. Adam and his wife, Kelly, run Mundos North in Suttons Bay, while Jack Clark is the head roaster.
The owners are also Joelle Curtis and Luke Norris. Curtis runs the Mundos headquarters while Norris takes care of maintenance, wholesale and team leaders. Add all the spouses and the family gets bigger again. Add the team members and the Mundos tree has many branches.
“Absolutely, there is family in (ownership group) and in-laws,” Dan Clark said. “Over the past four and a half years, we have invited a lot of other people into our family.
“Even our employees are like our family and we couldn’t have done it without them. “
Mundos 305 will be the largest of the four locations, with 3,300 square feet of space. Dan Clark said it will seat around 75 people and will be located on Pine Street between Hall 4Front and OMPT Specialty Physiotherapy.
“There will be more cafes there,” Clark said. “It will have more than any of our other locations. “
Clark is equally excited to bring Mundos to Slabtown.
“We know there is an overwhelming demand from the neighborhood and from the people who work in the west end of town,” Clark said. “It gives them something a little easier to access.”
Ed Johnston of Northern Property Management is even more enthusiastic than Clark. Johnson bought the property a few years ago, razed the building which “was in disrepair” and was rebuilt. Johnson eventually approached Clark to open a third Mundos location there.
“Our whole family is sort of in the property management component,” Johnson said. “When we saw that the property was available, we got it back. We really liked the whole Mundos business model and what they were doing and how it fits into the community ”,
Johnson also had a selfish reason for Mundos West.
“We were regular customers, at Suttons Bay and Traverse City,” he said. “We got together as a family and said it would be a good fit. We approached Dan about this. He was thinking at the time of a possible expansion and having the property to do it downtown.
Johnson and Clark said Mundos’ location at 720 W. Front St. will have eight parking spaces in front of the building, as well as additional parking on Cedar and Third streets. There are also many possibilities for walking and cycling, as well as a bus stop nearby.
Johnson said the site would ultimately be run by his son Austin Johnson, daughter Morgan Siemer and their wives. A two bedroom, 1 ½ bathroom Airbnb is planned for the space above Mundos West.
Clark and Johnson have said Slabtown looks ready for the Mundos opening, which could be as early as May. Johnson said he hears from a handful of people every week, often as they pass the site.
“It’s a growing neighborhood,” said Dan Clark. “It’s a pretty sought-after area, I think. We had so many people when we made the commitment grateful that we were going to be in this neighborhood. They live, work or drive there. I think it will be so much more convenient for them.
“People are thrilled that he is entering this community,” Johnson added.
Mundos West will emphasize the outdoors with seating in the front, as well as 14-foot ceilings to bring in plenty of natural light. A patio near Kids Creek will also be featured.
“This will be the place to be in the summer,” said Clark.
Mundos West’s interior is full of plants, as is Mundos HQ on Boon Street.
“We sold a lot of plants (during the pandemic),” Clark said. “We kind of did everything we could. Stuff like that is what we adapted to.
Mundos HQ also sells products on consignment from local manufacturers like LMBR + Hide, Grand Traverse Hot Sauce, Skyler the Potter, thistle + gray, North Lavender, and Bloom Wildcraft.
“There are so many designers out there,” said Dan Clark. “Traverse City is perfect for that.”
It also continues Mundos’ emphasis on the local. Johnson said this was probably one of the reasons his family from Northern Property Management wanted to work with Mundos.
“It’s the right thing,” Johnson said. “Everyone is local and works together on the whole project. “
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