Brewing the Northwest in Southeast Texas
food, longleaf coffee company, restaurants, victoria,
When Victoria native Keith Moore moved his family from Seattle back to East Texas in the mid 1990s, everything felt just right – except his morning cup of coffee.
Like so many Northwesterners, he’d been spoiled by the exceptional brews of the Pacific Region. So when he couldn’t find a cup that suited his fancy, he decided to make coffee for himself – and everyone else in Victoria.
Thus LongLeaf Coffee Company was born. In May 2007, they opened the doors of their shop on South Main Street in downtown Victoria.
“The community has responded better than we could have imagined,” says Josh Moore, Keith’s son who serves as general manager of the business. “We have had a steady growth of customers since we opened last year, and I would attribute almost all of that growth to a very positive word of mouth.”
The Moores renovated their 90-year-old location themselves, leaving original architecture such as the tin ceiling intact, and the crew is currently in the process of renovating the space next door to meet growing demand.
“Our customers tell us that when they step through our doors they feel a sense of comfort, like this is a place they’ve been coming to their whole lives,” Moore says.
The management philosophy behind LongLeaf is similar to a big corporation, says Moore: efficient training and stringent quality control. The company has recently set up an online store, and the Moores hope to open another store in Victoria sometime next year. But none of that changes the original mission of great coffee and hometown service.
“We like to keep the feel of a small business by getting to know our customers and not treating them as if they are going through a fast food line,” Moore says. “After all, we are a mom-and-pop store.”
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Story by Michaela Jackson
Photo by J. Kyle Keener
