A new roastery and cafe made its debut last month in Ipswich. Little Wolf Coffee (named for a Siberian husky named River, who definitely looks like a wolf) is the work of Chris Gatti, and it's a small-batch roaster, coffee shop, and retailer all rolled into one. It's located at 125 High St.
Gatti has spent the better part of three years developing the concept for Little Wolf after moving back to Boston from Seattle.
"While I was living in Seattle, I fell in love with coffee and proceeded to head down the rabbit hole of learning everything about coffee," he told Eater. "It all started with brewing coffee at home, followed by learning espresso, and then finally roasting at home for friends and family."
After much self-teaching, trial and error, coffee classes through the Specialty Coffee Association of America, and the help of at-home roasters online, Gatti was able to realize his dream of opening a roastery in New England, "to share and introduce the area to coffee in the same way that I was able to living in Seattle," he said.
About a year and a half ago, Gatti began looking for spaces and equipment, and after landing on the High Street location, the buildout went smoothly. The espresso section of the cafe’s bar is detachable and mobile, allowing Little Wolf to cater events and weddings and appear at farmers markets, Gatti said, in addition to its daily operations.
"So far the reception has been great with the local community, and it's been really exciting to share our coffee with everyone both local and far away," Gatti said.
Little Wolf is currently open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and offers a full range of coffee beverages, as well as retail and wholesale options.
• Little Wolf Coffee [Official Site]