Glassbox Coffee brings specialty javas and juicing to S. University

There may be few things that sound more ordinary than coffee and juice, but if Jason Friend has his way, the experience patrons have with both at the new Glassbox Coffee on S. University will be anything but humdrum. 

 

"We are a specialty coffee shop that also offers a full juicing menu," says Friend. "Our goal is to source coffee beans from the top roasters in the country."

 

Friend has been working on developing Glassbox Coffee for about a year and a half. The shop makes many of its ingredients in-house, as well as sourcing from such gourmet coffee companies as Gimme, Stumptown, Verve and Grand Rapids-based Madcap Coffee. The rotating menu of juices, however, is where the café really stands out from the crowd.

 

"I am a huge juicing fan and always wanted to offer it in a shop environment," Friend says. "Juicing is a wonderful way to get your daily vitamins and nutrients in a great tasting, enjoyable way."

 

The 700 square foot space underwent extensive renovations from a former office to a gourmet café. Three sides of Glassbox Coffee exemplify the shop's name with floor to ceiling windows. Providing top quality atmosphere is just as important to Friend as his carefully chosen drink ingredients.

 

"We strive to be a hospitality based shop," he says. "To steal from Danny Meyer, 49 percent of our business is the quality of our drinks; 51 percent is how we make people feel while here." 

 

When the weather improves, Glassbox Coffee will also offer outdoor seating. The café currently employs a staff of five.