There’s a new wholesale coffee roaster slated to open in Milwaukee in 2025. And while the new roastery won’t include a retail/cafe component, Sugar Leaf Coffee Roasterie is a name that's sure to appear on a variety of menus at local restaurants and coffee shops around town.

Behind the new brand is longtime coffee industry veteran Steven Kessler, who has secured a warehouse space in Bay View that he's currently building out for the new roastery. If all goes well, he says he hopes to get Sugar Leaf up and running by early to mid-February.

Kessler, who stepped away from his role with Anodyne Coffee Roasterie in March of 2024, has worked in the coffee industry for over 20 years, 17 of them in Milwaukee. 

“I’ll always look back fondly at my time with Anodyne,” says Kessler. “My role gave me the freedom to be who I was and to do what I loved.”

In fact, as he considered what he wanted from the next stage of his career, he says he found himself asking two basic questions: “What gets me excited?” and “What do I want to do in my heart?’”

In the end, he says, the answer was simple. “Ultimately I just want to keep doing what I love.”

Sugar Leaf Coffee Roasterie

Kessler says his main goal with Sugar Leaf Coffee Roasterie is to “Roast really good coffee and get it into good peoples’ hands.”

Part of the excitement, he says, is getting back to roasting coffee, something he hasn’t done for some time. 

“I have about three years of roasting experience,” he says. “Two were in Arizona and then I roasted for about a year for Anodyne. Sugar Leaf allows me to get behind the drum again and really exercise those muscles.” 

Kessler says that, at least initially, he plans to offer about 10 single-origin coffees, along with a few blends. “This will be a one man operation for a while, so I want to keep my menu straightforward and manageable,” he says.

As far as the flavor profile of Sugar Leaf Coffee is concerned, Kessler says he’ll offer a fairly wide range of offerings.

“I prefer coffee that’s lighter and more balanced,” he admits. “But coffee is subjective. And when it comes to my business, the goal will be to offer a variety of flavor profiles so that there’s something for everyone. Roasters are like chefs. You get your product and it’s your job to showcase the flavors in that product.”

Kessler says he’s dipped his toes into the water by roasting some coffees at home. But he says he’s excited for the equipment to be installed at the warehouse so he can begin roasting in earnest.

Even more, he says, he’s excited to get out there and interact with other business owners and assist them with taking their coffee programs to the next level. 

“If your network is your net worth, then I have that in spades,” Kessler says. “I’ve helped so many places to open and knowing that I helped them, even in the smallest way, is really rewarding. Sugar Leaf will allow me to continue doing that... I’m so excited to get back out there and work with people again.”  

Follow Sugar Leaf Coffee Roasterie on Instagram and Facebook.