Within the coronary heart of Detroit’s North Finish, one thing particular is percolating—Sepia Espresso Undertaking, a minority-owned, Black-led espresso roastery redefining how communities expertise espresso. Led by Martell Mason, CEO, and head roaster, Sepia Espresso is greater than only a café. It’s a cultural motion, a historical past lesson, and a worldwide journey—all poured into one good cup.
Positioned at 2831 E. Grand Blvd, Sepia Espresso symbolizes resilience, possession, and taste. However its story begins removed from Detroit.
Mason’s journey into espresso isn’t your typical barista-to-brewer story. With a background in worldwide affairs and graduate work targeted on international worth chains, he’s spent over a decade working within the espresso business behind the scenes. Earlier than founding Sepia, Mason was a espresso dealer with an import enterprise in Istanbul, sourcing and transferring espresso all through the Gulf area.
“I needed to go to the foundation—to the farm stage,” Mason explains. “It’s about guaranteeing fairness in getting these items to market.” That international mindset informs each bean Sepia supply and each partnership they kind, from farm to cup.
Returning to Detroit in 2021, Mason noticed a metropolis wealthy in potential and underserved when it got here to specialty espresso.
“The espresso scene right here wasn’t the place I assumed it ought to be,” he says. “So we’re doing our half to raise high quality, service, and platforms so extra underserved communities inside Detroit can entry good espresso.”
Sepia Espresso is intentional about who it serves—and who it companions with. It’s about creating alternatives, cultivating dignity, and telling tales usually unprecedented.
The model’s signature blends—Concord, Black Backside, and Paradise—are extra than simply tasting notes. They’re tributes to Detroit’s misplaced neighborhoods, Black Backside and Paradise Valley, which have been demolished within the Nineteen Sixties for freeway development. These collections don’t simply wake you up; they reconnect you to a wealthy and complex previous.
“We would like folks to know we’ve at all times been a part of this course of,” Mason says. “Espresso wouldn’t be the second most traded commodity on the earth if it weren’t for us. We should inform these tales.”
Each element at Sepia speaks to considerate curation and cultural satisfaction. Their Brazilian espresso beans come from Afro-Brazilian farmers and are imported by a Black-owned importing firm. Even their oat milk—provided by default with no upcharge—is produced by Ghost City Oats, a Black-owned, Black-led model.
Why oat milk? “A number of our group is lactose illiberal,” Mason notes. “We needed to make sure accessibility with out additional value. Everybody deserves high quality.”
Their fashionable cups and bowls are crafted by Kinto, a Japanese ceramic model chosen not only for aesthetics but in addition for the vitality and expertise they bring about to every drink.
Sepia isn’t simply brewing espresso; it’s baking relationships. They’ve partnered with Detroit-based Crispelli’s Bakery and hope to quickly function pastries from up-and-coming baker Walter Katz, at present within the operating for a 2025 grant.
As Mason says, “All of us need to take pleasure in nice issues—no matter earnings stage. That’s the essence of group.”
If you happen to’re in Detroit—and even midway internationally—you may expertise Sepia Espresso. They ship globally, however there’s one thing uniquely magical about moving into the Grand Blvd café. The music, the scent of fresh-roasted beans, the aesthetic cups—it’s a multi-sensory love letter to tradition, craft, and group.
Listed below are three causes it is best to make Sepia your go-to espresso vacation spot:
- Wonderful High quality – Every cup is a masterpiece, from ethically sourced beans to precision roasting.
- Wonderful Service – Hospitality rooted in tradition and inclusion.
- Nice Individuals – Led by visionaries dedicated to constructing a greater espresso business, one sip at a time.’
Mason believes Sepia isn’t only a espresso store—it’s a mannequin for city communities throughout America. Sepia’s blueprint is replicable and scalable, from Atlanta to Oakland and Philadelphia to Chicago.
“That is about creating entry. It’s about guaranteeing our communities aren’t simply included in growth—they lead it.”
So, the subsequent time you drink a cup of espresso, assume past the flavour. Consider the farm, the folks, and Sepia.
As a result of in Detroit, espresso isn’t only a beverage—it’s a motion.