High Grounds Coffee Roasters celebrated their first birthday on High Street this September. The coffee house has a wide variety of menu options, ranging from specialty lattes and pastries to lunch items. A year ago, High Grounds found their home in Glassboro.
High Grounds is the cool, younger sister of Death of the Fox brewing in Clarksboro, with its bright red walls, dark wood accents, and big leather couches. Death of the Fox opened in 2017 and is the first and only brewery, coffee house, and coffee roaster in the state.
Chuck Garrity, the founder of High Grounds and Death of the Fox, used the Covid-19 pandemic as a time to focus on the art of coffee bean roasting.
“Coffee was kind of a secondary business to our primary business, which was beer and craft beer. But the pandemic hit, and you know, that changed a lot of things for breweries and just generally our type of business,” said Garrity.
Over the last two years, coffee has been the shining star from both businesses.
“The build out and the foundation of being a coffee roastery allowed us to be able to really diversify our business in a way that became really unique. And just so you know, the success of Death of the Fox allowed High Grounds to happen,” said Garrity.
Around 10 years ago, when Garrity was looking for a home for Death of the Fox, he considered Glassboro.
“I didn’t feel Glassboro was ready yet. I felt like I was going to be too dependent on students coming in, let’s say six, seven months out of the year. But otherwise, Glassboro itself, it’s like, what happens when the students go home?” Garrity said.
One of the most unique aspects of High Grounds is that they roast their own coffee beans in-house. Head roaster Bailey Gotchel, 25, has been a part of the adjoining companies for about three years.
“One day a week, I’m here…I come in around nine and I can yield probably four, six-pound batches in an hour,” said Gotchel.
Gotchel explained that the coffee house goes through about 45 pounds of espresso a week. In addition to the ever changing menu, Gotchel credits the space for being the reason students keep coming back.
“But as far as, like, sitting, hanging out for hours at a time, just studying, other than the library, I don’t really think Rowan has many places like that,” Gotchel said.
Jen Henson, general manager at High Grounds, has been with the company for about four years and has been with High Grounds since opening.
“It’s been great to become part of the Glassboro community, and being welcomed by the Rowan students too, and seeing all the love there, it’s been great,” said Henson.
Over the last few years, Garrity has said that he’s seen tremendous growth in Glassboro, from businesses, condos, and the expansion of the university. However, it was still missing one thing.
“I felt that Glassboro lacked a great coffee house. It’s not just about the product. It’s about the experience. It’s about coming here,” said Garrity.
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