According to an article from the Portland Eater, Guilders and Junior’s Roasted Coffee are now under new ownership.
“We were not specific on a close date, but the sellers were hoping we could make it happen on April 22. That date is exactly 7 years since they opened the doors to the original Guilder location on NE Fremont St. Our goal for the foreseeable is to learn the ins and outs of the business. We do not plan to make major changes yet,” co-owner Ryan Willbur told What Now Portland.
“We were interested in purchasing Guilder and Junior’s Roasted Coffee because they are great businesses. Long term, we do want to work to partner with more high-quality makers of fine foods and goods in Portland. Our Powell’s location offers cocktails, wine, and beer and there is ample opportunity to expand those programs to include more great winemakers and brewers.”
“Laila and I have both spent our careers working in coffee. In early November, we were together attending a coffee expo in Seoul, Korea when we learned of the opportunity to buy Guilder & JRC. I had been traveling three of the four weeks in October and was facing major burnout.”
“Three months prior, Laila had been laid off from Coffee Business, a division of Sortis Holdings that had purchased See See Motorcycles, Water Ave. Coffee, and a couple of other small companies. When the layoff occurred, it was the first time Laila had ever left a job without her choosing to do so.”
“Without a clear idea of where to go next, Laila started a consulting business to help other cafe operators achieve profitability. By the time we were in Seoul, her calendar was filling up and the business was taking off.
“Watching her success gave me the confidence boost that if we did take the leap and get into the roasting and retailing side of coffee, we would know the right things to manage a business for success. The dream had always been there in our minds, but we were moving steadily in our careers.”
“If anything, we thought we had grown past the point of starting a business. But, buying an existing business was an entirely new idea. From Korea, I gave the broker a call, and the rest is history. Of course, folks are invited to follow our journey on Instagram. We just took delivery of a fresh coffee from Colombia- Amigos Del Huila and we’re excited to release that in the coming month or so.”
According to the article, “Guilder, the charming cafe known for its vegetable-forward fare and references to The Princess Bride, and Junior’s Roasted Coffee have been acquired by coffee industry veterans Ryan Willbur and Laila Ghambari.”
“The acquisition comprises three cafe locations — Guilder’s flagship on NE Fremont Street, Guilder’s at Powell’s City of Books, and Junior’s Roasted Coffee at Upright Brewing Beer Station — plus the roasting operation, which is situated within the Fremont cafe.”
“Junior’s Roasted Coffee was founded by Mike and Caryn Nelson in Tallahassee, Florida in 2017. The couple later moved to Portland and went on to open Guilder with Toby Roberts and Carrie Lind.”
