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Sun Bear Specialty Coffee Roasters opened its first standalone cafe in St. Petersburg, Florida, on July 26, after about five years of selling coffee through markets, pop-ups and local businesses. The 1,200-square-foot cafe includes an adjoining roasting space, and owner Kenny Beers says the company plans to expand subscriptions and reach more customers across the United States.
Sun Bear Specialty Coffee Roasters opened its first standalone cafe in St. Petersburg, Florida, on July 26, adding a public coffee bar and an adjoining roasting space after about five years of sales through markets, pop-ups and local businesses. The 1,200-square-foot cafe serves espresso, pour-over and other drinks, while owner Kenny Beers says the company intends to grow its subscriptions and reach more customers around the United States.
The cafe combines a 1970s-inspired design with equipment and service focused on coffee. Its butter-yellow tiled bar, red shelving, pendant lights, natural wood and stainless steel carry Sun Bear’s retro branding into the space. A menu board and vintage hi-fi speakers sit behind the counter. Beers told Daily Coffee News that the design was deliberate: “We were very disciplined with this one thing. We already had a great space, but our Pinterest pinboard was loaded.”
An adjoining 800-square-foot roasting space gives Beers room to roast coffee for the cafe and wholesale clients on a Yoshan machine. He described it as small but an improvement over roasting in his garage. At the cafe bar, staff use a two-group Rancilio Classe 5 espresso machine; an Ethiopian Guji coffee often serves as the espresso base. The menu also includes cold brew, drip coffee and manual pour-overs.
Sun Bear offers lightly roasted single-origin coffees, including some with experimental post-harvest processing. Pour-overs can feature co-fermented coffees as well as washed-process offerings sourced through importers and direct relationships. Some drinks include house-made syrups or additions such as dragon fruit cold foam. Pastries and light bites come from outside vendors. Beers said the cafe does not make food itself so the team can focus on coffee, and that vendors deliver frequently.
A New Base for Sun Bear
The opening gives Sun Bear a permanent customer-facing location after years of reaching customers through temporary and shared settings. The cafe brings its roasting, retail service and beverage program together in one St. Petersburg site, while the adjoining space supports production for both the cafe and wholesale clients. The report does not give production volumes or wholesale account numbers, so the scale of that operation is not yet clear.
For customers, the cafe offers a place to try coffees that Sun Bear has sold through other channels, including single-origin and experimental-process offerings. Its menu ranges from espresso and pour-over to cold brew and drinks with house-made additions. The outside-vendor arrangement also means the cafe serves pastries and light bites without preparing food on site, according to Beers.
The move also marks a change in the company’s local footprint. Sun Bear closed its small bar inside Sans Market at the end of May to focus on the new cafe. The transition from that counter to a standalone location is a concrete expansion in how the roaster serves the public, though the available report does not specify whether the new cafe has changed staffing, sales or total roasting output.
From Cambodia to St. Petersburg
Before starting the coffee business, Beers taught music in Cambodia. There he renewed his interest in late-1960s and early-1970s music and pop culture, influences that later appeared in Sun Bear’s branding and cafe design. He sometimes performed at a cafe run by Kakada Nub, a roaster and barista who had ranked prominently in Cambodian national barista competitions. As the two became friends, Nub taught Beers the basics of roasting.
Beers returned to the United States after the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to leave Cambodia. He formally established Sun Bear in 2021. The company developed its coffee program through markets, pop-ups and other local businesses before opening a small bar inside Sans Market in St. Petersburg. That bar closed at the end of May as the company prepared to concentrate on the standalone cafe.
Sun Bear sources coffee through relationships with importers including Unblended, Cafe Imports and Cofinet, as well as some direct relationships. Beers told Daily Coffee News he remains focused on finding producers. The cafe’s opening was marked by performances from several bands on July 26, connecting the launch to Beers’ earlier work as a musician.
““We were very disciplined with this one thing. We already had a great space, but our Pinterest pinboard was loaded.””
— Kenny Beers, Sun Bear Coffee owner
Growth Plans Still Unspecified
Beers has said Sun Bear wants to expand its roasting reach across the United States and has added subscription services through Crema.co and Bottomless. The report does not specify target markets, a timetable, expected production levels or how many subscribers the company currently serves. It also gives no figures for the cafe’s sales, attendance or wholesale business since opening.
The source reports that the grand opening was a success, citing Beers, but provides no attendance or revenue data to measure that description. It is also unclear how the cafe’s operating hours, staffing and menu may change as the company pursues its growth plans. Those details were not included in the report.
Subscriptions and Wider Distribution
Sun Bear’s stated next steps are to build its subscription services and extend roasting to a broader customer base across the United States. The company has named Crema.co and Bottomless as subscription channels. No launch dates, geographic targets or distribution milestones were given, so the pace and scope of any expansion remain undetermined.
In the near term, the cafe at 1942 1st Ave S remains the company’s new public location in St. Petersburg, alongside its roasting operation. Further information about operating hours, new wholesale accounts or subscription growth was not provided in the report.
Key Questions
Where is Sun Bear’s cafe?
The cafe is at 1942 1st Ave S in St. Petersburg, Florida.
When did the cafe open?
Sun Bear held its grand opening on July 26, 2026, according to the report.
What coffee and drinks does it serve?
The menu includes espresso drinks, cold brew, drip coffee and manual pour-overs. Some drinks use house-made syrups or additions such as dragon fruit cold foam.
Does Sun Bear make food at the cafe?
No. Owner Kenny Beers said pastries and light bites come from outside vendors, and that Sun Bear does not make food itself.
What does Sun Bear plan to do next?
Beers said Sun Bear has added subscription services through Crema.co and Bottomless and wants to expand roasting to reach more customers across the United States. The company has not provided a timetable or specific expansion targets.
Source: rss
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