Reza’s focuses on high-quality roasts and a family-friendly identity
What started out as a mission to bring fresh coffee in a unique cafe setting has become a Dayton staple. Reza’s Coffee Roasterie is just that, a coffee roaster, combined with a cafe.
Reza’s first opened its doors in 2015, according to owner Audria Maki. Then, in 2019, the coffee roaster opened its first cafe in a 100-year-old building on Wayne Avenue, at the edge of the Oregon District in Dayton. The project was a labor of love, as Maki, her husband and their family spent three years renovating it. Later, in October 2021, a second cafe opened in Beavercreek.
On Reza’s menu you’ll find locally roasted coffee that is of high quality and directly sourced each week. “We also serve all the cafe drinks using only the best ingredients,” adds Maki. “Our milk comes from a local dairy. Our syrups are artisanal. Our baristas are empowered to be creative, and our seasonal menu is always so impressive. In addition, we offer the best toast in Dayton—especially our avocado and egg.”
Maki says that there are a number of reasons that contribute to what makes Reza’s unique. “We roast our own coffee, we use only the best ingredients,” she says. “Even though we love all the fancy things that life has to offer, our baristas are very friendly and everyone is welcome in our cafes.”
Although Maki is the face of the business, her family is very much involved and part of the entire operation as it is family-friendly at its core. In fact, the name of the company comes from her son’s middle name, and she says her family’s support is what keeps her going.
“I work closely with my husband Ebi and our children and family are all involved,” she adds. “I was born and raised in Dayton, and Ebi moved here with his family from Iran when he was a teenager. Dayton is our home and we love it here.”
The family is very much looking forward to what’s to come throughout the year. Maki says their intention is to focus on roasting. “We have gone back to our roots and you can expect to see a new coffee coming out every six weeks or so.”
The coffee roaster also recently launched a new beverage to celebrate International Women’s Day in collaboration with Yellow Springs Brewery called My Eighty-Two Cents. “The coffee they used in the beer is available in bean form,” says Maki. “It’s special because it comes from a woman-owned farm in Costa Rica and was roasted by a woman at a woman-owned coffee company.”
Reza’s Coffee Roasterie and Family Café. Downtown Dayton location: 438 Wayne Ave., M-Sa 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Su closed, 937-813-1748. Beavercreek location: 1474 N. Fairfield Road, M-F 6 a.m.-6 p.m., Sa 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Su closed, 937-912-5023. rezasroast.com
