We took a look inside Night Swim Coffee’s new South End roastery. Here’s what we found
Charlotte’s Night Swim Coffee offers a robust coffee program with a powerhouse team behind it. Consisting of folks from Not Just Coffee and Undercurrent Coffee, the group is serious about what they do. And it shows.
CharlotteFive toured the newly opened flagship cafe and roastery in South End neighborhood, and the attention to detail is evident — from the tastefully arranged furniture to the carefully considered single-origin roasts.
Here’s what we uncovered during our time at Night Swim Coffee’s new spot:
What’s the space like?
Sippers enter into the expansive cafe, filled with natural light from large windows, and walk up the service counter to order a roast of the day or a specialty drink. Bags of coffee and apparel, lined up on hanging shelves next to the counter, are available to purchase.
Many tables are situated around the space, contributing to its vibrant, co-working atmosphere.
Down a short hall behind the coffee counter is an office area where the team hosts cuppings — a surefire way to try a breadth of product and identify which beans are right for you. It’s something that Night Swim will offer more of to the public “in the next few months,” said Miracle Yoder, co-owner.
Finally, through large windows on the left, patrons can view the large roasting room and an adjacent room where supply is held in anticipation for pickup and distribution.
Who’s behind the project?
Night Swim Coffee is owned and operated by James and Miracle Yoder of Not Just Coffee and Todd and Erin Huber of Undercurrent Coffee.
Other names to know:
- Evan Wood, director of coffee
- Betsy Brooks, lead roaster
- Rory Martin, assistant roaster
- Juliana Luna, VP of operations
- Erica Warner, Michelle Yow and Ben Garrett, directors of operations
- Brooke Rush and Megan Delfino, food directors
For those keeping up with the food scene in Charlotte, the name Juliana Luna may ring a bell. Indeed — Luna as in Luna’s Living Kitchen. Luna took a break from the restaurant in 2018 and began to work for other companies in a management and operations capacity. Friends with James Yoder, she started to hone in on what she wanted to do next. What she wanted to do next was to get into coffee, and he was getting ready to launch a new project.
“I’m mostly behind the scenes,” Luna said.
She likens her role to being a bridge between ownership and the creation side of things.
A bridge like that is necessary to the small business. It’s a team effort, with everybody pitching in to help ensure the success of the project.
“Right now, we’re all wearing a lot of hats ... Our people make or break the success of our cafes and our businesses,” Todd Huber said.
What’s next for Night Swim?
Expansion.
“We kinda built this with the capacity to grow,” Todd Huber said.
There’s a location in the works in a popular Charlotte area, and it’ll open in October or November — more details to come on that. The company intends to expand more inside Charlotte and around the city, and aims to grow its wholesale program so Night Swim coffee can be served outside of the cafes.
Night Swim Coffee Roastery & Cafe
Location: 4500 Old Pineville Road, Charlotte, NC 28217
Neighborhood: South End
Instagram: @nightswimcoffee
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 6:00 AM.