By Mike Hazlip—
Citrus Heights’ newest coffee shop is now open at 6001 San Juan Ave., setting up where a Vietnamese restaurant once operated for several years.
BeanHeads owner Tim Snipes told The Sentinel in an interview Thursday his focus is on crafting a custom coffee product for his customers. After being in the coffee business since 2006, Snipes says he has a clear focus for BeanHeads.
“Our mission is we want to make craft coffee accessible to anyone,” Snipes said.
The Citrus Heights location is the second BeanHeads location, behind their new Natomas shop. Snipes said Citrus Heights was slated to be the first to open, but he couldn’t pass on a Natomas opportunity last month when the previous owner retired and left a fully equipped coffee shop in a former Java City building.
“As far as I know, we are Citrus Heights’ first and only craft coffee purveyor,” he said. “There’s a lot of drive-thru’s, a lot of national chains.”
BeanHeads roasts their own beans, and Snipes said they acquire their beans from countries all over the world. He tries to buy coffee beans that are in season for a more distinctive flavor.
Snipes previously had a coffee kiosk business model in local hospitals, but said that model didn’t work out during pandemic closures.
The new shop is decidedly minimalist — and even more so currently due to supply chain delays.
“When I did this before, years ago, you go down to the local restaurant supply store and buy chairs,” he said, noting chairs at his shop are still on order. “Since the pandemic, supply chains are so overwhelmed. There’s a three month wait.”
While Snipes eventually plans to add chairs and some indoor plants, less is more for the BeanHeads owner. He intends to keep the minimalist aesthetic and the black and white color palette of the uniforms and menus reflects his approach to the business.
“We like the simplicity,” Snipes said. “It kind of speaks to the simplicity of our product. We don’t have huge menus with a lot of different stuff on it, we like to focus on the coffee product.”
BeanHeads is currently open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. but plans to serve customers 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. after their soft opening. The shop serves coffee, teas and pastries while Snipes says he plans to offer wraps and sandwiches as business grows.
BeanHeads currently has about eight employees, Snipes said, with room for more as the business grows. Snipes’ son, Jeremiah, is helping his dad kick off the business, but is headed off to college this fall.
