Ladder Coffee Roasters purchases Vessel Coffee Roasters on Monroe Street

Ladder Coffee Roasters is continuing to expand in Spokane with the recent acquisition of Vessel Coffee Roasters on North Monroe Street.

Owner Aaron Rivkin said the decision to purchase Vessel Coffee Roasters at 2823 N. Monroe St. stemmed from a series of conversations at the onset of COVID-19 with the coffee-roasting company’s former co-owner, Sean Tobin.

“I got a phone call three to four months ago from Sean and he said, ‘There’s no other person in the (coffee) industry in Spokane to lead what we developed other than Ladder.’ That was such an honor for me,” said Rivkin, adding Vessel is a pioneer in Spokane-area coffee culture.

The new Monroe Street location will become a headquarters for Ladder Coffee Roasters, where it will roast coffee and develop products, among other things. The site will also remain a café and host a training lab, Rivkin said.

In an email, Tobin said he will be moving on to other endeavors but is thrilled about Rivkin’s vision for Ladder Coffee Roasters.

“Ladder and Vessel have had such similar visions from the onset of our businesses, it made great sense for Ladder to continue the legacy of what we created,” Tobin said. “We believe in what Aaron and the Ladder team are building and really excited to see what the future holds for them.”

Tobin opened Vessel Coffee Roasters with business partner Ike Bubna five years ago with the goal of creating a space that cultivated creativity and community.

“Vessel was created for the purpose of creating an impact in our community and Ladder will continue to steward that calling,” Tobin said. “Ladder will be roasting their coffee out of Vessel’s flagship location and also be offering a great cafe experience, just like the experience many have come to know and love.”

Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Ladder Coffee’s mission statement is to be a hub of influence and have a global impact, which can be achieved by “creating systems and structures to be able to grow,” Rivkin said.

Ladder Coffee recently opened a coffee shop at 1212 W. Francis Ave. in a shared space with Canopy Credit Union. With the addition of the former Vessel Coffee Roasters location on North Monroe, it now has four locations in the Spokane area.

Rivkin said he plans to continue expanding Ladder Coffee Roasters through online sales, introducing new products in stores and launching a new wholesale program.

Ladder’s Monroe Street location will be open 8 a.m.-noon daily for dine-in and take out this week. It will begin regular operating hours next week, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.