Former Old Soul roaster launches Camellia Coffee Roasters

Sacramento’s coffee scene is about to get more interesting.

Ryan Harden left his gig as Old Soul Co.’s head roaster just yesterday, but he’s been planning his next move for the past six months: Camellia Coffee Roasters.

When it openshopefully in July—Camellia will look very different than other Sacramento cafes. No outlets. No tables. No customers who park and work for hours. Harden envisions something similar to G&B Coffee in Los Angeles, a small kiosk in downtown’s Grand Central Market. It mostly does to-go business, with a few bar stools for folks to enjoy a cappuccino or espresso on-the-spot.

“It’s more like a bar experienceyou’re not going to pull out your laptop at a bar,” Harden says.

As for food, Camellia will eschew the usual selection of breakfast pastries for a line of hand pies in collaboration with Matt Masera of Mother, Empress Tavern and Maiden Ice Cream. Expect a rotating selection of two sweet options with seasonal fruit and two savory options, probably one veggie pie and one meat pie.

Harden is actively looking for a cafe location in Midtown with his business partner Robert Watson of Insight Coffee Roasters. They already have a space in Roseville to start roasting in mid-March for wholesale clients.

According to Harden, there are no hard feelings with Old Soul. He actually bought the company’s old roaster to help launch Camellia.

“There’s a lot more room for other things besides Insight, Temple, Old Soul and Chocolate Fish,“ he says.

Keep up with Camellia on Instagram, here.

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