In late 2024, West Lou Coffee, a small – batch roasting company based in Louisville, Kentucky, took a significant step forward. It moved from a food business incubator kitchen to a dedicated 700 – square – foot roastery. Here, three Arc 800 roasting machines stand alongside packing equipment. Sean Roberson, the founder of West Lou Coffee, has set an ambitious goal of selling at least 10,000 bags of coffee by September this year.
For Roberson, reaching this milestone would validate his business concept. His ultimate aim is to create additional job opportunities in Louisville’s West End. “The West End has long been a poverty – stricken area,” Roberson told DCN recently. “Compared to other parts of Louisville, it lacks resources like nice restaurants, shops, and businesses. Many of the local businesses are Black – owned, yet there’s a distinct lack of investment and care, as evident in the state of housing and amenities.”
Roberson, a native of west Louisville’s Shawnee neighborhood, founded West Lou Coffee in 2021. Initially, it served as a supplier to local markets, bakeries, offices, and cafes. Before relocating to its current facility, owned by OneWest (a community – development nonprofit focused on spurring commercial growth in the West End), the business thrived while operating within the local food incubator, Chef Space.
Roberson has a diverse professional background. For the past 20 years, he has worked in corporate finance. In 2016, while living in Atlanta, he took up coffee roasting as a hobby. A corporate finance position at KFC brought him back to his hometown five years later.
Roberson shared his motivation, saying, “My art, brand, and messaging are driven by the belief that good things can emerge from places often overlooked and misjudged. Despite the West End’s shortcomings, our greatest assets are perseverance, hope, and our community. We’ve endured challenging conditions for years, and we’re still here.”
Currently, both West Lou Coffee and its surrounding community are at a crossroads. Roberson continues to work at KFC, but the fast – food giant recently announced plans to move its headquarters to Dallas, dealing a major economic blow to Louisville. Additionally, Brown – Forman, the owner of the Jack Daniel’s spirits brand, has announced the closure of its Louisville barrel – making plant, laying off around 640 workers as part of a restructuring.
Roberson hopes West Lou Coffee can play a role in breathing new economic life into the community. In 2021, with future growth in mind, he purchased a 5,000 – square – foot abandoned warehouse in the West End, just a short distance from his current roastery. If his coffee business flourishes, Roberson intends to combine profits with loans to renovate the building and convert it into a larger production facility.
He vividly described his dream: “I once dreamed of developing West Lou Coffee Roastery in the West End of Louisville, hiring locals to help with roasting, order – filling, and delivery across the tri – state area of Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. It’s about thinking beyond the status quo and building an example and foundation for future generations. Even though I don’t have children, I’m committed to growing West Lou Coffee to create an institution that can offer jobs, hope, and purpose to a community I deeply love and that has given me so much.”
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