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Madis Coffee Roasters gets Philadelphia license for planned Northern Liberties cafe

Madis Coffee Roasters gets Philadelphia license for planned Northern Liberties cafe

Built World Philadelphia, PA local

Food-serving permit for a 30-plus-seat space at 828-40 N 2nd St in Philadelphia

September 29th, 2026: License filed for Northern Liberties location

Overview

Updated Oct 25

Madis Coffee Roasters received a Philadelphia business license on September 29, 2026, for a cafe at 828-40 N 2nd St in Northern Liberties, covering a space with more than 30 seats. A license is one approval, not proof that a shop is serving.

Accounts differ on how far along that shop is. On June 1, 2026, What Now Philadelphia listed 'a more recent shop on the ground floor of the Eight Two Eight apartment complex' among Madis's existing cafes, and put a fourth at 210 S. 12th St, targeting July. Madis has announced no opening at 828 N 2nd St.

Why it matters

A Philadelphia coffee roaster has a city license for a Northern Liberties cafe, the next step in a slow neighborhood-by-neighborhood expansion.

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Key Indicators

3
Madis cafes in Philadelphia listings
First cafe at 3527 Lancaster Ave, the Curtis building at 601 Walnut St, and a Chestnut Street shop named in a Center City District coffee guide.
30+
Seats covered by the new license
License type is food preparing and serving with more than 30 seats.
4
Reported fourth location
What Now and Midwood reported in June 2026 that the fourth was a shop at 210 S. 12th St in Center City; Madis's 2025 plan had named Northern Liberties.

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People Involved

Eleni Navrosidis
Eleni Navrosidis
Marketing Director, Madis Coffee Roasters
Public spokesperson on the company's expansion plans

Organizations Involved

Madis Coffee Roasters
Madis Coffee Roasters
Coffee roaster and cafe chain
Local Philadelphia roaster expanding neighborhood by neighborhood

Philadelphia roaster with cafes in University City and Old City, adding shops in Center City and Northern Liberties.
MN
Madis Northern Liberties LLC
Limited liability company
Licensee for the Northern Liberties location

Entity that received the food-serving business license for 828-40 N 2nd St.

Timeline

2022 September 2026

4 events Latest: September 29th, 2026 · 1 month ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. License filed for Northern Liberties location

    Latest Licensing

    Madis Northern Liberties LLC receives food-serving business license for 828-40 N 2nd St.

  2. Company flags Northern Liberties as fourth cafe

    Announcement

    Marketing director tells Daily Coffee News a Northern Liberties cafe is planned for late 2025.

  3. Second cafe opens in Old City

    Expansion

    About 4,600-square-foot cafe and roastery opens inside the Curtis Publishing building.

  4. Madis Coffee founded near Drexel University

    Expansion

    First cafe opens near the Drexel University campus in Philadelphia.

Scenarios

1

Madis Northern Liberties cafe opens its doors

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Madis's August 2025 statement to Daily Coffee News; Philadelphia food press

Madis completes the remaining approvals and build-out at 828-40 N 2nd St and begins serving customers, expanding its Philadelphia footprint to four cafes. The company had already announced this location, so an opening would follow its stated plan.

2

Northern Liberties cafe stalls; license lapses

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: OpenDataPhilly license records; local business press

The location fails to secure the other approvals needed to operate, and the food-serving license expires or is revoked before the cafe opens. The space stays vacant and Madis walks back its expansion plan.

3

Madis grows to five Philadelphia cafes

Possible Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Company's stated 'tight regional footprint' vision

With the Northern Liberties cafe open, Madis announces or opens a fifth Philadelphia location, moving toward its goal of neighborhood cafes plus a training lab. This depends on the first scenario coming true.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2002

Blue Bottle Coffee (2002)

James Freeman started Blue Bottle selling coffee from a single cart at an Oakland farmers market, then grew one cafe at a time on a reputation for meticulous, design-forward shops.

Then

By the 2010s Blue Bottle had stores across the US and Japan.

Now

Nestlé bought a majority stake in 2017, making it the template for specialty roasters that expand deliberately.

Why this matters now

Madis follows the same playbook: a small roaster adding cafes one at a time rather than scaling fast.

1999

Stumptown Coffee (1999)

Duane Sorenson founded Stumptown in Portland, Oregon, roasting coffee and opening cafes that became neighborhood anchors.

Then

Stumptown expanded to Seattle and New York.

Now

Peet's bought the company in 2015, cementing the regional-roaster growth model.

Why this matters now

A regional roaster whose shops defined their neighborhoods, the outcome Madis is aiming for in Philadelphia.

Sources

(7)
+1
OpenDataPhilly Daily Coffee News Madis Coffee Roasters Corner What Now LinkedIn (Midwood Investment & Development) Center City District