Journey with us now to Long Beach, where Dedo Coffee is serving up a unique—and deeply analog—experience. Combining hi-fi sound equipment and handmade ceramics, Dedo is an intimate cafe offering a feast for the senses, not just the taste buds. But make no mistake about it, there is one focal point. “We’re advocates of centering the coffee itself,” co-owner Sarah Grant tells us.
The coffee shop that plays vinyl is of course not a new concept. But the appeal isn’t in the novelty. When it is done right, the hi-fi cafe is a transcendent experience, and it makes Dedo a must-stop shop for anyone visiting Long Beach.
The 2025 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, La Marzocco, Ceado, and Dona.
As told to Sprudge by Sarah Grant.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Dedo Coffee is an intimate, local hi-fi listening cafe based in the Wrigley neighborhood of Long Beach, CA. Founded by Scott and Sarah, we’ve been thinking about this project for years and we bring complementary strengths to the overall vision; Scott has worked in various hospitality contexts, the co-working industry, and high-end audio manufacturing, and Sarah is a coffee researcher and professor at a local public university. We live in the neighborhood and love to think about non-algorithmic ways to experience coffee and music but also think it’s important to share that we’re first-time small business owners. We’ve had a lot of support from our people, but this is an organic project that Scott has poured his heart and soul into.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
Our space captures the experience of listening and tasting through a deeply intentional ambience, and attention to detail in all of our designs, from custom seating and millwork to the locally sourced record cabinet. Although we have access to a large outdoor patio, the indoor listening space is what we created, and what we’re looking forward to sharing most. Obviously there are limitations to the size and shape of the cafe. Still, we’ve done our best to acoustically treat it and craft an experience that is the best possible fit for our particular space while staying mindful that commuters might want something quick and accessible. The cafe is admittedly small but we’ve found that this adds to the character, coziness, and social experience of the space. We are especially fond of our skylight and the warm tones our designer cultivated. We also have a full kitchen and plans for a small brunch menu with beer and wine.
What’s your approach to coffee?
We’re keeping it simple and consistent. We have a healthy curiosity and appreciation for all specialty coffees, from co-fermented to blends (and Sarah is almost too familiar with the world of commodity coffees). We’ll always have two coffees on our FETCO twin brewer—a delicious daily drinker and something for the specialty coffee enthusiasts and folks who want to try something new and different. We’re advocates of centering the coffee itself. We also believe that consistently good espresso goes a long way. To that end, we hope the coffee we’re serving really shines in our simple but quality focused menu.
Regarding our service, we love drinking coffee from beautiful mugs and look forward to offering all of our to-stay drinks in vessels that invite our customers to slow down and appreciate the space for a moment. We’ll still have some interesting seasonal drinks on hand too, like a salty licorice mocha, a “barista’s choice” inspired drink named after our rescue mutt, Wilbur, and some super tasty house iced tea and sparkling lemon-limeade.
As we open, we’re partnering exclusively with Unity Sourcing and Roasting; they have something for everyone, but more importantly, we trust their sourcing, roasting, consistency, transparency, and willingness to meet people where they’re at on our respective coffee journeys.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
Our espresso bar hosts a fairly standard lineup: La Marzocco Linea PB two-group espresso machine, and a Mahlkönig E65S grind-by-weight atop our PuqPress automatic tamper. On the back bar, we’ve got a FETCO twin (2232NG) and an EK43 shop grinder. We did manage to get that (formerly used) espresso machine refurbished and custom-painted to fit in with our interior design.
Our hi-fi equipment is also an essential piece of the overall cafe experience. It’s important to us that the system we put together for the cafe capably demonstrates the engaging sound of serious hi-fi, without being a completely inaccessible collection of equipment. We believe there’s a lot to love about our setup consisting of Tannoy Legacy Eaton loudspeakers, a Luxman L-509x integrated amplifier, a Technics SL-1200G turntable, and an original Auralic Altair high-resolution streaming DAC. We used products from GIK Acoustics for room treatments, and were excited to connect with R/D Record Cabinets out of nearby Los Angeles to build a custom record cabinet for vinyl display and storage. We hope it all adds up to a unique opportunity for visitors to explore and enjoy how rewarding high-end audio can sound.
How is your project considering sustainability?
We think about sustainability all the time. In fact, it keeps Sarah up at night as someone who researches sustainability as a concept, and has some critical perspectives about sustainability as a for-profit industry. We’re considering sustainability in multiple ways. Environmental sustainability, to us, is about using what we already have better and working with existing partners who have similar values. This translates to working with roasters we trust, focusing on quality over quantity to the extent possible, and keeping things local, to the extent possible. We also think about sustainability in terms of the neighborhood and long-term goals that go beyond eco-friendly straws; we are advocates for new, creative forms of environmental and economic accountability and sustainability in the industry.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
July 2025—the month a literal trash heap finally become a cafe.
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
So many. Kellie Patry (Los Angeles, CA) designed our interior and envisioned it in ways that we couldn’t have possibly articulated ourselves. Our contractor, ReBuilt (Long Beach, CA), took a gamble on this nuanced commercial project and pulled it together beautifully. R/D Record Cabinets (Los Angeles, CA) put together a gorgeous record storage and display cabinet for us. Sasha Pace of Vida Plant Shop (Long Beach, CA) handled our plant design and installation and worked with Beth Bowman of Bowman Ceramics (Long Beach, CA) to make a few custom planters for us.
And of course, Black Rabbit Service Co. has been invaluable in making sure we’ve got the right water filtration and infrastructure set up to support our machines and workflow, and we’re looking forward to their maintenance support in the future as well! We know they’re no stranger to Sprudge readers, but they are quite literally craftspeople, coffee architects, and creatives all in one package.
Thank you!
Thanks Sprudge!
The 2025 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, La Marzocco, Ceado, and Dona.