Excited coffee aficionados and tech-savvy Brooklynites gathered for the grand opening of the newest cafe in Bay Ridge this weekend.
City League, which held its grand opening on Jan. 14 before the ribbon cutting ceremony on Jan. 21, initially started when owner Dane Demchak started a coffee roasting business out of a Sunset Park garage with his family, before meeting Blend Coffee + Co-Work owner Justin Mattera — kicking off a relationship that allowed him to sell his coffee at Blend’s storefront.
In 2022, Demchak and Mattera partnered to start City League in Bay Ridge, aiming to provide the community with deliciously cultivated coffee and a space to work, study or just sip and enjoy.
“We have always wanted to have a physical space and began developing the concept for this shop on day one,” said owner Demchak on. “We spent years building a local community foundation through our coffee and look to continue to expand upon that.”
City League’s new location is a 1,500 square foot space featuring over 50 indoor and outdoor seats, and is designed to accommodate customers as they host meetings or special events, study, work and more.
Their menu features seasonally available brews including rare and exotic coffee roasts ethically sourced from farms in Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, Costa Rica and more.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by several Brooklyn community leaders who celebrated the business’ expansion.
“Congrats to Dane & Justin on the grand opening of City League Coffee Roasters at 6808 Fourth Ave in Bay Ridge,” Councilmember Justin Brannan tweeted on Saturday. “Small businesses like this are the backbone of our neighborhoods and they make a damn fine cup of coffee!”
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Randy Peers also attended the event, and spoke about the importance of small businesses like City League for the borough’s economic heath.
“The minute you walk into City League Coffee you feel the sense of community,” said Peers to Brooklyn Paper on Jan. 23. “People from all walks of life can come here and feel at home while grabbing a cup of their favorite style of coffee.”
City League is open seven days a week from 7 a.m to 5 p.m on weekdays and 8 a.m to 4 p.m on weekends.
