CxT Roasting Company From Garage Project To Local Staple

How far can one small home roaster go? For CxT Roasting Company, it turned into three cafes, a roasting facility, a cocktail bar called The Missing Zither, and a premium chocolate brand, Monocle Chocolate. In this video feature, Mitchell Papadajuk, CEO of CxT Roasting Company in Peoria, Illinois, walks through their journey from garage hobby to hometown anchor. He also talks about how custom packaging from Savor Brands helped them tell their story on every shelf. The full story is in the video, but here is a look at what makes CxT stand out.

From A Garage In Peoria To A First Cafe

CxT began in 2015 when Mitchell and his brother Tristan started roasting in their garage on a small manual roaster from Taiwan called the Hookie. The idea was simple. Roast coffee for fun, maybe sell a few bags online. Local health rules quickly shut down that plan, so they went looking for clarity at the source. A trip to Costa Rica changed everything. Visiting farms, seeing the people behind the beans, and standing on real coffee soil helped them answer a big question. Was this just a hobby or something they should fully commit to? When they came home, they signed a lease on a compact 800 square foot shop on Main Street and opened the first CxT cafe. The video dives into those early days and how one decision at origin set the direction for the whole company.

Pourovers, Patience And An Espresso Lesson

One of the most surprising parts of their story. CxT opened their first cafe without an espresso machine. For the first month, it was all pourover. Customers walked in to see Tristan brewing with a gooseneck kettle and a lineup of manual methods. Chemex, AeroPress, V60, French press and more. Single origin coffees were rising in popularity, and CxT used that moment to stand out with education and experience. In the video, Mitchell shares what that felt like and what they learned when guests started asking for lattes. His takeaways for anyone opening a shop are worth hearing straight from him.

Growing Into Three Cafes, A Bar And A Chocolate Brand

Since those early days, CxT has grown into:

• Three CxT Roasting Company cafe locations in Peoria, Illinois
• A production roasting facility at Keller Station
• A cocktail bar called The Missing Zither
• A premium chocolate company, Monocle Chocolate

Their cafes have become everyday meeting spots for families, friends, charity groups and community cuppings. They partner with organizations such as the Center for Prevention of Abuse and host events and fundraisers that tie good coffee to real impact. Monocle Chocolate extends that same care into hand poured chocolate bars. They use CxT coffees and high quality cacao, then experiment with flavor combinations such as dried strawberries, raspberries and jasmine. Right now they are tempering and pouring the bars while they learn the market for high end chocolate in their area and plan for future cacao roasting.

The Missing Zither Bar

CxT did not stop at coffee. Their growth also led to The Missing Zither, a bar created by the same team that built CxT Roasting Company in Peoria, Illinois. It carries the same focus on craft, comfort, and genuine connection, just in an evening setting. The Missing Zither gives guests a place to slow down, talk, and unwind. It is where regulars can move from morning coffee to night time conversation, all within the same family of brands they already trust. What The Missing Zither adds to the CxT story:

• A space made for lingering and deeper conversations
• A natural extension of CxT’s focus on quality and hospitality
• Another way to bring people together around shared experiences

For CxT, the bar is not just another project. It is a reflection of how their vision has expanded, from a single garage roaster to a group of spaces where the community can meet, relax, and feel at home.

Why This Story Matters To Savor Brands

At Savor Brands, we believe that when our partners grow, we grow too. CxT Roasting Company is a clear example of what happens when community, origin relationships and smart packaging all move in the same direction. We support roasters like CxT with:

• Premium custom packaging that fits their brand and workflow
• Branding support and design guidance
• Tools and services that help them scale with confidence
• A team that cares about long term partnership, not just the next order

Watch the full CxT Roasting Company video to hear Mitchell’s stories in his own words, see their spaces in Peoria and get a closer look at the packaging that ties it all together. You will come away with more than a coffee bag. You will see how the right support can help turn a garage roaster into a pillar of the community.