The recent sale of Elemental Coffee to Modern Environment founder Harvey Cobbs and his brother Clark brings one of the city's favorite roasters back into the locally owned fold. Laura Massenat, the name most commonly associated with Elemental, started the business in 2008 with partners Stephen Michalik, Laurent Massenat, and Chris Holliday, but the third-wave micro-roaster didn't hit most locals' radar until opening their Midtown District cafe in 2011. The N. Hudson spot quickly became a hub for creatives, commuter workers, business meetings, and meetups. The emergence of downtown as a destination certainly helped raise the profile of Elemental's shop, but it also led to further brand awareness for their excellent coffee, and after they added food, the shop was cemented in everyone's mind as a place to get great coffee and delicious food, especially the grab 'n' go options and breakfast dishes.

Post-COVID, the remaining partners moved out of state, and in Laura Massenat's case, out of country, converting Elemental from locally owned to a spot owned by former locals but still with a strong local footprint. Competition from other downtown coffee shops had already led to the fragmentation of Elemental's singular downtown hub into a collection of smaller gatherings in Auto Alley, Midtown, Deep Deuce and other districts as other local roasters claimed real estate in the urban core. Losing Elemental's local character seemed like a real possibility, even as it expanded into the airport and Innovation Hall, and entered into a licensing agreement with Chad Hodges for his Capitol Co-Op in Capitol Hill.

One of the early regulars at Elemental was Harvey Cobbs, who likes to say he built Modern Environment from the coffee shop. "I spent a good portion of the last 16 years at a table in the shop," he said. "It's where Modern Environment started, so when Laura reached out about selling, I was glad to discuss it."

Cobbs said owning a coffee shop has been a long-term goal of his, but he never imagined it would be his favorite downtown coffee roaster. "I spent a lot of time visiting the Pacific Northwest, where I fell in love with spots like Dudley's Bookshop Cafe in Bend, Oregon," he said. "Over the years, I discussed my plans with Laura, and we talked about me using her coffee in the shop."

Massenat calls Cobbs "the absolute best" and said, "I couldn't have found a buyer who would love it more or be a better steward, and when we talked, I told him I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have do this." She also remains on board as a single-digit-percentage partner for the portions Cobbs purchased, and per Cobbs, will "stick with us for the next eight months to help with the transition."

"Chad retains ownership of Capitol Co-Op and the license," Cobbs said, "and we purchased Midtown, Innovation District and airport locations. We're excited about maintaining our relationship with Chad, and we hope to help him find ways to expand his business, including his amazing bike shop."

Cobbs has always wanted the bookstore-meets-coffee-shop dream, but for now, he's thinking he'll get to know the team and the systems, while working on menu specials and additions. The team has told him they'll stay on, including GM Lindsey Watz, who will remain in that position in the Hudson store. "We don't expect to make any big changes initially," Cobbs said. "We'll focus on the environment and culture of the stores, come up with strategies to increase sales, and identify what we're doing right and what we can do better."

Cobbs also said he has no plans to change his practice of working from the Hudson store. "I'm the president and CEO of Modern Environment, but that hasn't prevented me from working from the shop, and this just provides more reason to be in the space, where I can split time being available for the team and working on Modern Environment projects."