Mister Chris' Coffee Depot

Frostproof, FL

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Reviving History

Chris Drake is bringing new life to Frostproof's 100-year old train depot - and adding a personal touch.

Visit them here: mrchriscoffeegallery.com

Bio

Location: 118 E Wall St, Frostproof, FL

Established: 2020

Owner Chris Drake began a journey when he decided to purchase and fully-renovoate the historic Frostproof train station. The station opened in 1912 to service the thriving orange-growing communities in and around Frostproof. The station had fallen into disrepair following its closure, but Chris realized the opportunity to renovate and re-establish the space as a center for the local community. The result is a vibrant coffee house that pays homage to the history of the town, coffee, and Chris' life & family. You'll find a rooom dedicated to his career as a traveling musician, complete with instruments, vinyls, and a working Victrola. You'll find a room filled with unique historic (and fully-functioning) coffee brewing equipment. Through it all, you'll find the fingerprints of Chris' family woven into the space - heirlooms and reminders that complement the history of the buildling. Mister Chris' is an experience through time - go check it out for yourself!

Offering

The Depot keeps the menu simple. They typically offer a medium or dark roast option, batch-brewed and served either hot or iced. They also serve up a higher-octane cold brew if that's your preference. The Depot is a fantastic indoor and outdoor event space perfect for hosting live music and events. As a result, they've expanded the menu to include craft beer and wine.

Not quite a menu item, but another unique offering of Mister Chris' is their partnership with Harvest Hosts to provide RVers with a spot to stay overnight while traveling through the state. They allocate space on the property for RVs to park free of charge. While there, patrons can explore the Depot and other local spots in town.

Hardware

While walking by the original ticket counters inside the station, you'll find a wide array of coffee brewing equipment. There's quite a range - a turkish brewer that uses a candle wick as a heat source, a cloth filter brewer commonly found in local kitchens in many coffee-growing regions, a drip brewer that is used to slowly produce the highly-caffeinated liquid we call cold brew. Chris' intention behind the room is to stimulate his customers' interest and education in the various approaches to brewing coffee.

As for the operational equipment, Chris personally roasts the coffee for the shop using two table-top electric roasters. The roasted coffee beans are ground and batch-brewed using drip brewers.

The Crop

Sourcing Style: Responsibly Sourced

Roaster: Mister Chris' Coffee Depot

Chris frequently travels to growing regions in search of potential coffee farms and providers. By visiting the farms first-hand, Chris has personally met many of the farmers and has witnessed the local operations. The trick then becomes determining the best path to procure and import the beans into the US. This model is a challenging way to source coffee, but Chris sticks to it as much as possible to ensure he has visibility into the supply chain. The menu rotates based on seasonal availability, but you'll most often find a selection of Central and South American blends.