About
OX Coffee
Established 2013
The labor of love for two old friends with extensive backgrounds in the field, OX Coffee is a unique, independent, specialty coffee shop and roaster committed to providing outstanding coffee and customer service in Philadelphia. OX focuses on serving high-quality coffee that is harvested, processed and roasted using sustainable and organic practices. OX is committed to giving back to the community not only by featuring local vendors, artists, and musicians, but also through educational opportunities that will continue to lay a solid foundation for a coffee-loving culture in the city. A compact, inviting and warm space, OX hopes to bring back the coffee shop as a home away from home where neighbors and visitors alike can spend some time together and enjoy a great cup of coffee. Sorry, no wifi.
People
Will Gross
Owner
Will has worked in specialty coffee since 2005. Starting as a barista at Joe in New York he quickly fell in love with the culture of coffee, the process of producing coffee and the community that coffee creates. Along with training baristas at Joe, he has worked for Ritual Coffee in San Francisco and for Stumptown Coffee in Brooklyn as a Coffee Roaster. After Hurricane Sandy tore through Brooklyn in 2012, Will was left to rethink his path forward. He ran into his old friend Max at a neighborhood bar in Carroll Gardens and OX Coffee was born. With Will's deep family roots in Philadelphia, he and Max decided to leave Brooklyn for a fresh start and in October 2013 OX Coffee officially opened in Queen Village. If he’s not at the shop, you can find Will at OX’s Roastery in Kensington, knocking doors in the neighborhood as a committee person, or in the middle priced seats at Citizen Bank Park.
Max Cudworth
Owner
In 2006, Max moved to New York to study saxophone at the New School. Shortly thereafter, Max joined the team at Joe on 13th St. where he met Will and quickly climbed from barback to senior barista, developing and refining a sophisticated pallet along the way. When he wasn't playing jazz clubs in the Village, Max competed and placed well in many coffee competitions in the New York area. Max has always been a fan and frequent customer of small businesses. Around 2012, he decided that he wanted to put his own spin on a coffee spot and started working through the idea of starting a cart in New York. He dreamed of a place that would serve exceptional, hand-crafted drinks in an environment welcoming to both coffee lovers and folks who prefer tea. When Will suggested working together to open a brick and mortar shop in Philly instead, Max jumped at the opportunity. Max is a new Queen Village resident and digs Ray's Happy Birthday Bar, Chris' Jazz Club, and the Liberty Bell. He also has a twin sister, Caity.
Email: max(at)oxcoffee(dot)com
Press
PHILADELPHIA