Meet Jon Runion | Owner of Necessity Coffee

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jon Runion and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jon, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have been in the coffee industry for years and I have really enjoyed the spaces I get to work in. In those years, I have helped develop coffee programs and helped open numerous locations for other people and after doing that for ten years, I felt like I had learned and grown enough to feel like I wanted to start a coffee shop for myself. Working for other cafes and seeing the service industry, one thing I wanted to create was a welcoming space for everybody where hospitality was one of our main focuses. I also wanted to create a cafe that represented farmers that offered unique and rare coffees because I hadn’t found those in other spaces.

What should our readers know about your business?
What sets Necessity apart from others are three things: the coffees that we offer, the menu that we serve, and the way that we interact with every person that comes through the door. We purchase coffees that have a more unique processing method. At Necessity, we are dedicated to working with farmers who are pushing the envelope on the way coffees are grown and produced in the world today. Traditionally, you would find coffees that are washed, natural, and some sort of honey process, and we enjoy partnering with farmers who are working at producing coffees with extended fermentations such as anaerobic, lactic, and carbonic maceration. We believe that coffees with an extended fermentation provide more of an interesting and complex flavor profile and that gets really excited about what we’re drinking and serving. As far as the menu we serve, we like to keep things constantly changing so at Necessity, we offer a 6 week menu at all times- keeping our drinks fresh and new all the time. We like to focus on three main drinks that we continually change- a coffee soda, a sparkling tea, and a seasonal capp. When we approach our menu, we focus on what we think is not commonly offered in a cafe setting but you might see at a bar somewhere. We like incorporating seasonal fruits with balanced acidity and we take those fruits and pair them with a coffee that best fits for those drinks. We think by offering a menu that is rotating, keeps the environment and the people who come to visit excited every single time that they come. They want to come more and more to try the new drinks because of how often we change our menu. One of the most important things within our company is ensuring that everyone’s experience at Necessity is unique and welcoming. We believe that at Necessity anyone can have an amazing experience whether it’s learning about a new coffee, tasting a unique drink, or the time we give each person that walks through our doors. Our cafe is built on serving the person that is in front of us and giving them the attention they deserve to make the experience worth being there. We have come to learn that people don’t mind waiting in line because they know once it’s their time, they will get just as much care and attention to finding them the perfect drink as the person in front or behind them. I think these are three reasons why people keep coming.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LOVE this question.

For coffee, here are a few places I suggest:
– Necessity Coffee 😉
-Dark Horse Coffee Roasters
-Coffee & Tea Collective
-Rikka Fika
-Mnemonic Coffee

For eats:
-Kindred
-Tribute Pizza
-Panama 66
-Mothership
-Hamburger Hut
-The Friendly

For drinks:
-Mothership
-Part Time Lover
-Polite Provisions
-Bottlecraft
-Oddish
-Vino Carta
-Little Victory

For sweets:
-Little Fox
-Stella Jean’s
-Mutual Friend

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I owe so much thanks to my co-owner, Curtis. Because of our long years of friendship and careers, he and I have been able to create the best environment that Necessity could offer. The experience he has in looking at the big picture and his creativity behind the bar is something that sets us apart and I’m grateful for. I also want to recognize Daniel Charlson, owner of Dark Horse Coffee Roasters. He has always been someone that I can talk to when working on things for the coffee shop. His many years of friendship and the success of his company is something I look up to.

Website: necessitycoffee.com

Instagram: necessity.coffee

Image Credits
Jon Runion