Parks Coffee debuted its first-ever retail storefront, coffee shop and cafe with a ribbon-cutting with Carrollton Mayor Kevin Falconer to officially launch its massive new 50,000-square-foot farm-to-cup operation on Tuesday.
The family-owned-and-operated business began in 1986 when founder Randy Parks developed a plan to deliver third-party gourmet coffee and professional equipment to office break rooms across North Texas – an operation run entirely from the family garage. Though the beginnings were humble, armed with a successful plan to manage the process, Parks moved out of the garage and into a warehouse space near their home in 1990. Things really ramped up in 2003 when the family purchased its first roaster that lived inside an expanded 35,000 commercial facility and headquarters, roasting their own beans for the first time at a rate of 150,000 pounds per year.
After perfecting their operations, Parks Coffee gradually added markets throughout Texas during the company’s first two decades. In 2008, the expansion reached Arizona with its first out-of-state branch opening in Phoenix. Since then, the Parks Coffee brand has extended to Oklahoma, California and Louisiana, as well, a slow growth model that maintains the tight-knit family vibe that permeates throughout the organization at every level.
“We choose to run our business as a family because we know it’s ultimately best for our customers and best for our employees. The values we share as a family: love, respect, compassion, care … these are universal values that are the foundation of our company’s success as well. We apply them every day to our unparalleled services and our excellent products,” says Founder Randy Parks.
The new headquarters affords the Parks family the space and manpower to roast more than 10 million pounds of coffee per year inside its roasting facility, which customers can watch in action from a window inside the cafe. In addition to the café, coffee lab and roasting facility, the new building includes a dedicated third-floor event space for hosting everything from corporate events to weddings. Tours of the entire operation—from roasting the beans to crafting the perfect cup of coffee—give visitors the opportunity to learn fun and informative facts along the way. Each tour ends with a tasting that pairs three types of coffee with sweet artisanal treats from local companies, including Sublime Chocolate, La Casita and BIRD bakery. In addition, BIRD bakery will supply the cafe with the majority of day-to-day food offerings, including their famous chicken and egg salads available by the pint to-go or as a sandwich to enjoy on-site.
“People are already coming in from the neighborhood to see what’s going on,” says Scott Parks, Randy’s son and an executive at Parks Coffee. “It’s a truly unique experience, and they’re excited to be able to participate in a coffee house that’s locally-grown and raising the bar.”
Unlike most cafes, expertly trained baristas at Parks Coffee have the rare and exciting opportunity to hand-craft their own special roasts in the on-site coffee lab, allowing them to have an intimate knowledge with the flavor profiles and aromas to connect coffee lovers with every sip in a whole new way.
