Coffee roaster and shop opens in downtown Pontiac

A small batch coffee roaster has rocketed out of the basement and into downtown Pontiac.

Fourth Dimension Coffee Company recently celebrated its grand opening in the Oakland Arts Center building on Saginaw Street.

Sharing the building with Exferimentation Brewing Co. and Fillmore 13 Brewery, coffee lovers can find the new local roaster and café tucked between the two breweries in the space of a former art gallery.

Though business partners Brad Petrinec and Bryan Weaver had initially envisioned the location as more of a retail storefront for their coffee brand, they’ve since purchased an espresso machine and added tables and chairs.

Their passion, however, remains in small batch coffee roasting.

"Brian takes a lot of pride in the way he roasts coffee. He reads all sorts of books and then tinkers with the way it’s done," Petrinec says.

"Because we’re a small batch roaster, we can afford to experiment a bit."

Petrinec says Fourth Dimension focuses on single origin coffees, akin to other Michigan coffee roasters like Madcap and Populace. They tend to avoid dark roasts, he says, so as to bring out the maximum caffeine and flavor of lighter varieties.

Space and spacecraft photos and artwork adorn exposed brick and painted black walls. The coffee roasting machine is located within the café, so customers can observe the process while sipping their drinks.

Both 15 years sober, Petrinec and Weaver met through a mutual friend. The name itself, Fourth Dimension, is a reference to A.A. recovery literature.

Coffee has since become a mutual passion.

"Bryan and I used to get together just to try out different pour-over coffees, try all the different kinds out there," Petrinec says.

"We’re self-described coffee geeks that wanted to own our own coffee shop."

And now they do.

Fourth Dimension Coffee Company is located in Ste. 1C at 7 N. Saginaw St. in downtown Pontiac.

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