Sheldrake Coffee Roasting Will Mark 50th Anniversary
The Belmont Shore staple celebrates five decades of local coffee roasting on September 30, 2026.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Coffee
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Sheldrake Coffee Roasting will celebrate its 50th anniversary on September 30, 2026, marking a half-century of operation in Long Beach. Located at Second Street and Livingston Drive, the shop remains a prominent fixture in the Belmont Shore community.
Why it matters
The shop maintains in-house roasting operations to ensure peak freshness, citing a 25% flavor loss that typically occurs within 14 days of the roasting process. This commitment to quality has allowed the business to thrive as a local supplier for decades.
The shop roasts between 8,000 and 10,000 pounds of coffee each month and supplies 15 local businesses alongside the Long Beach Airport. Only four individuals are currently trained to operate the facility's roasting machinery.
The players
Mike Sheldrake
He is the proprietor who has operated the business independently since purchasing it from his parents in 1989.
Polly's Pies
Founded by Eddie Sheldrake in 1968, this institution is a major commercial partner that purchases 1,000 pounds of coffee weekly.
The details
Operating in Belmont Shore since 1976, the business focuses on hand-packaging medium-dark roast beans to preserve flavor. Roasters manually sample the beans during the heating process by pulling a rod, a traditional technique that helped the shop earn a feature on the History Channel's Modern Marvels.
Timeline
Eddie Sheldrake opened Polly's Pies in 1968.
Sheldrake Coffee Roasting opened in 1976.
Mike Sheldrake bought the shop independently in 1989.
Starbucks opened down the street in 1993.
The 50th anniversary celebration event takes place on September 30, 2026.
Culture Shift
The business operates in direct defiance of the industry standard 14-day window for peak coffee freshness by prioritizing local, rapid production. This approach highlights a rejection of mass-distribution supply chains that typically result in the 25% flavor loss referenced by the shop.
Residents and local businesses can expect continued access to small-batch roasted coffee that emphasizes freshness over shelf-life. The shop's sustained presence at the corner of Second Street and Livingston Drive supports the local economy by supplying over a dozen regional establishments.
The takeaway
Sheldrake Coffee Roasting serves as a case study in the longevity of small-scale, quality-focused manufacturing within a local retail environment. Readers can improve their own coffee experience by prioritizing beans roasted within the last two weeks to avoid significant flavor degradation.
Further reading
Learn more about local roasters and industry trends in the Coffee section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Long Beach Post.
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