A family-owned independent craft coffee shop will soon take over a historic building in downtown Walnut Creek.

Located inside the brick Schroeder Insurance building on North Main Street, Tellus Coffee, named after the Roman goddess of the earth, will be an all-day cafe specializing in pour-overs of small-batch, organic and fair trade coffee roasted on-site using a zero-emissions, electric roasting machine made by Berkeley’s Bellwether Coffee.

They will also serve espresso drinks, tea, beer, wine and plant-based small bites.

“We want it to be a community gathering place,” says owner Ali Shahidi.

Shahidi, who grew up in Lafayette, fell in love with coffee on a trip to Hawaii with his extended family a few years ago. The aroma of kona coffee wafting through their vacation home drew multiple generations together sipping and watching the sunset as a group each morning.

But Shahidi has another connection with coffee. He used to own several gas stations in the area and says the people who came in to get their coffee became like family, too.

“We’d see the same people every day,” he recalls. “We became a part of their life. They’d come to get their cup. Only it didn’t taste good.”

That won’t be the case at Tellus. Shahidi is determined to have “the freshest coffee we can get.” Bellwether will helps by connecting him with small family-owned farms and cooperatives in Brazil and Colombia, to start. The company’s ethical green coffee buying practices are also aligned with Shahidi’s beliefs.

A large living plant wall will be the focal point of the Tellus interior, which has a capacity of 70 people. Shahidi plans to offer free community classes on coffee and other topics, like wine and beer, to get people back to talking to one another when it is safe to re-open for indoor dining. He’s hoping for a mid-October opening.

And, if all goes as planned, you’ll soon be able to enjoy what might be the only craft coffee gas station kiosk in the area. Shadidi is opening a Texaco station on Tice Valley Boulevard in Walnut Creek and it will have a Tellus presence.

“I’m going to have a barista there,” he said. “I want people to start their day right.”

Tellus Coffee will be located at 1410 N. Main St., Walnut Creek. For more information, including grand opening updates, visit https://telluscoffee.com and join the mailing list.