Trade workers are at the heart of Morning Oil Coffee Co., which is planned in the Union Terminal Warehouse near Downtown Jacksonville.
Co-owner Phil Rogacki calls it a “coffee yard” rather than a cafe or shop. Scheduled for a March opening in the renovated warehouse at 700 E. Union St., it will be a place for construction workers and others in skilled trades to pick up a coffee, a quick breakfast sandwich or Danish and buy lunch items for later in the day.
Parking is suited for large pickup trucks hauling trailers.
Rogacki decided to serve that market based on experience.
He has tree care, concrete and asphalt businesses in Northern California. Finding skilled labor is the hardest part of his businesses, he said.
“It’s the No. 1 or No. 2, most dangerous job in the world,” Rogacki said of the lumber business.
“There was no school for us. No training for us. It’s Jose and Mike who are going to teach you out in the field. Good luck. Don’t die today, and maybe in a year, I’ll give you a raise.”
Rogacki established the Academy Trained program to properly teach new hires the skills and safety awareness to do their jobs better.
While his California training center is aimed at his businesses, he wanted to do more for trade education in general. Over a cup of coffee, he realized the vehicle for his dream was in his hands.
He’d fund it through coffee.
Morning Oil Coffee is scheduled for a March opening in the renovated warehouse at 700 E. Union St.
Cultivating the trades
The company began as an internet craft coffee bean venture in 2023.
For every bag of coffee sold, the company would donate $1 to provide education and equipment to those wanting to pursue a trade.
In Jacksonville, Morning Oil plans to work with existing programs as well as the recently announced WareWorks training facility in the former Venus Fashion Inc. headquarters office.
It also wants to partner with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to provide trade education opportunities to those in or being released from the county jail.
Rogacki said public schools shifted curriculum to prepare students for college and white-collar jobs despite trades making up about a third of the jobs in the U.S. He said the need for trained trades people is becoming more acute, with 30% to 40% of today’s experienced workers expected to retire in the next 10 years.
Trade schools aren’t projected to drive up the current $1.7 trillion of college debt, he added.
“I’m trying to figure out how to get into every home in America and let the men and women and the families know that the trades are a better choice,” he said.
“You’re telling me at 18 years old, you can graduate from high school, go to a two- to three-year trade school, get paid while you’re going through that, get out of it as a journeyman and be making six figures. And you’re 21 years old and you’re debt-free.”
Opportunity by location
When Rogacki and his partner, Dennis Dumas, started, they knew nothing about the coffee business. They traveled to Guatemala for a two-month crash course on growing, caring for, harvesting, roasting, packaging and marketing coffee.
Dumas had been living in Oregon until recently moving to Jacksonville to be closer to family. He heard about Union Terminal Warehouse and after visiting the property, he saw it had a space dedicated for a coffee shop but not a vendor. He called Rogacki to tell him he had found their spot.
Dumas had specialized in building gyms, Rogacki said. Dumas was successful, having built about 400 gyms in the United States and overseas when the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing put him out of business.
The Union Terminal Warehouse has 228 apartments and 50,000 square feet of office and retail space that will create a built-in clientele for Morning Oil. When the Warehouse is in full operation, there could be 500 to 700 people on the property at any given time, he said.
Although the concept was developed for workers in skilled trades, the owners say all customers will be welcome.
Rogacki expects to be open from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Saturday in the beginning. The initial staff of three employees may expand to 15 or more as the business evolves.
The plan is to stay open longer for a happy hour that serves wine and beer, as well as pizza and wings.
The 900-square-foot establishment will seat 60 inside and outside, and include space for work crews to meet or socialize. The build-out will cost about $200,000.
Skyline Construction of Jacksonville is the contractor.
To start, on Mondays, coffee will be free from 5 to 9 a.m. to introduce their product and build customers. If it proves to be a popular loss-leader, Rogacki said it might become a Morning oil tradition.
Special service
Rogacki and Dumas will buy beans from Guatemala and ship them to Bend, Oregon, to be roasted. Morning Oil is the medium roast and the dark roast is called Morning Wood. The beans can be bought in the store or online at morningoil.com.
The website is being revamped. When it returns, it will sell coffee, Morning Oil merchandise and clothing.
Plans call for featuring a premium coffee each month. It will be served in an unconventional way, with customers grinding their beans and preparing them in a French press coffeemaker.
The coffee is prepared to order. Rogacki doesn’t want to see customers in a scrum around the service counter.
“There’s no more ‘Here’s your black coffee. Go over there that table and go mix your own cream and your own sugar,” he said.
“We mix it right there for you. So when you come in now, you’ll know, ‘Let me get a Morning Oil, 16 ounce, and I’ll take a three by two.’ OK, it’s made perfect every single time for you.”
Orders can be placed the night before by using the Morning Oil app.
