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Sun Bear Specialty Coffee Roasters opened its first standalone cafe in St. Petersburg, Florida, in late July after five years of markets, pop-ups and a market-based coffee bar. The 1,200-square-foot cafe includes an adjoining roastery, and owner Kenny Beers says subscriptions and broader U.S. wholesale roasting are next.
Sun Bear Specialty Coffee Roasters has opened its first standalone cafe in St. Petersburg, Florida, marking the five-year-old roastery’s transition from markets, pop-ups and shared retail spaces to a permanent home of its own. The 1,200-square-foot cafe opened in late July at 1942 1st Ave S, with a grand opening celebration on July 26 featuring live bands, according to a report by Daily Coffee News.
The cafe pairs a 1970s-inspired retro aesthetic with Sun Bear’s coffee program. The design includes a butter-yellow tiled bar, red shelving, pendant lights, natural wood and stainless steel, and an old-fashioned menu board flanked by vintage hi-fi speakers. “We were very disciplined with this one thing,” owner Kenny Beers told Daily Coffee News of the design. “We already had a great space, but our Pinterest pinboard was loaded.”
In an adjoining 800-square-foot space, Beers roasts coffee for the cafe and wholesale clients on a Yoshan roasting machine. “It’s still small, but so much better than my garage,” Beers said. Espresso drinks are prepared on a cream-white 2-group Rancilio Classe 5 machine, with an Ethiopian Guji coffee often serving as the espresso base. Some drinks feature house-made syrups and additions such as dragon fruit cold foam.
The menu centers on lightly roasted single-origin coffees, including experimental post-harvest processing and co-fermented offerings highlighted as manual pourovers. Beers sources through importers including Unblended, Cafe Imports and Cofinet, plus direct producer relationships he described as “mostly through WhatsApp.” Food is limited to pastries and light bites from outside vendors. “We use vendors who can deliver to us frequently, as we don’t make food ourselves,” Beers said. “We want it to be good, and we want to focus on the coffee instead.”
A Permanent Base After Five Years of Pop-Ups
The opening represents a common but difficult milestone for small roasters: converting a mobile and wholesale-only operation into a fixed retail location. Sun Bear spent roughly five years selling at markets, pop-ups and other local businesses before committing to a standalone space, including a small coffee bar inside St. Petersburg’s Sans Market, which closed at the end of May to free up focus and resources for the new cafe.
The combined cafe-and-roastery layout also gives Sun Bear direct control over both production and customer experience, a setup that typically strengthens margins and brand identity for small-batch roasters. Beers said the business has added subscription services including Crema.co and Bottomless and aims to expand roasting to a broader reach across the U.S., positioning the cafe as a foundation for national distribution rather than an endpoint.
From Teaching Music in Cambodia to Roasting
: “Before founding the coffee business, Beers was teaching music in Cambodia, where a renewed interest in late-1960s and early-1970s music and pop culture shaped the brand identity now visible in the cafe. In Cambodia, Beers sometimes performed at a cafe run by Kakada Nub, a roaster and barista who has ranked prominently in Cambodian national barista competitions.
As the two became friends, Nub taught Beers the basics of roasting before the COVID-19 pandemic forced Beers to return to the United States. He formally established Sun Bear in 2021, later opening the coffee bar inside Sans Market. The July 26 grand opening, with several bands performing, marked what Beers described as a full-circle moment for the musician-turned-roaster.
“We were very disciplined with this one thing. We already had a great space, but our Pinterest pinboard was loaded.”
— Kenny Beers, owner of Sun Bear Coffee
Details Still Emerging on Expansion Plans
Beers said Sun Bear wants to expand roasting to a “broader reach across the U.S.,” but the report does not specify target markets, wholesale volume or a timeline for that expansion. The scope and pace of the new subscription partnerships with Crema.co and Bottomless have not been detailed.
Financial details of the cafe buildout, staffing levels and performance metrics since the late-July opening were not disclosed. Daily Coffee News’ coverage, published September 29, 2026, is the primary source for this report; no independent figures on the cafe’s operations have been published.
Subscriptions and Broader Roasting Reach
According to Beers, Sun Bear’s immediate priorities are growing its newly added subscription channels — Crema.co and Bottomless — and expanding wholesale roasting distribution beyond its Florida base. The adjoining roastery gives the company production capacity to serve both the cafe and wholesale clients from one location.
The cafe at 1942 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, continues daily service of espresso drinks, cold brew, drip coffee, pourovers and vendor-supplied pastries. Whether Sun Bear adds food preparation in-house or opens additional locations has not been announced.
Key Questions
Where is Sun Bear Coffee’s standalone cafe located?
The cafe is at 1942 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, Florida. It opened in late July 2026, with a grand opening celebration on July 26.
Who owns Sun Bear Specialty Coffee Roasters?
Kenny Beers, a former music teacher in Cambodia, founded the company in 2021 after learning roasting basics from Cambodian roaster and barista Kakada Nub.
What coffee and food does the cafe serve?
The cafe serves espresso drinks — often based on an Ethiopian Guji coffee — cold brew, drip coffee and manual pourovers, including co-fermented offerings. Food is limited to pastries and light bites from outside vendors, with some drinks featuring house-made syrups and additions such as dragon fruit cold foam.
Did Sun Bear have a location before this cafe?
Yes. Sun Bear operated a small coffee bar inside St. Petersburg’s Sans Market and previously sold coffee at markets and pop-ups for roughly five years. The Sans Market bar closed at the end of May 2026.
What are Sun Bear’s plans after the opening?
According to Beers, the company has added subscription services including Crema.co and Bottomless and aims to expand its roasting reach across the U.S. Specific timelines and target markets have not been announced.
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