Cosmopolis Coffee Will Open in Portland’s Irvington Neighborhood

Cosmopolis Coffee, a small Portland roaster, is opening a cafe on NE Broadway on the south edge of the Irvington neighborhood. They’ll be taking over the old Saint Simon space; Saint Simon left there this past June. I spent a little time chatting with Conor Carrigan, Cosmpolis’ owner, to learn more about what’s to come for them.

Cosmopolis Coffee: What’s in a Name?

The word “cosmopolis” means “a city of different cultures and peoples,” according to the Cosmopolis website. I asked Conor to talk a little bit more about the meaning behind the name.

“I thought a lot about the name and spent quite a long time on that,” explained Conor. “For me, Cosmopolises are cities of different peoples and cultures, and that resonates with me for a number of reasons. For one, it’s how I actually see the world, in general.”

He continued, “I’ve traveled quite a bit. I was born and grew up in Ireland. I’d worked in continental Europe for a few years—in Switzerland and Latvia—and then came back to Ireland. After that I worked alone for years, and then went to Colombia and did human rights work. Eventually I moved to the United States.” He worked as a lawyer in New York City for a short time, and worked on housing issues, too.

“My family is, as it were, cosmopolitan,” he added. “My mother was American, my father was Irish-Colombian. So it means a lot to me in that way, too.”

He sees the coffee world as a cosmopolis, too, because of the constant interaction between different cultures and peoples from around the world—consuming countries and producer countries, alike. 

He also mentioned a philosophy of viewing the world as a cosmopolite. “Everybody is part of the same universe and worthy of dignity and respect regardless of where they come from,” said Conor. “And so it all resonates deeply with me because of the way I’ve lived—-and also because of the work that I’ve done in human rights before I got into the coffee business.”

The Origins of Cosmopolis Coffee

The business is fairly new. “I started the business officially online in June of 2023,” explained Conor. “But I had spent probably a whole year and a half before that training myself, learning about coffee and aspects of the business.”

He continued. “But right now, in terms of the supply side, I’ve got about three different suppliers from Colombia. I trust who they are, and the way they operate with the farmers.”

His connection to Colombia also lies through his great-uncle Rafael Parga Cortés (known to friends and family as Raff). He was a farmer in the department of Tolima, which is on the west side of the country, in the Andes. This region is higher in elevation, with challenging terrain.

But he was able to make farming work—his farm was called La Montaña. He also promoted the practice of planting coffee along with other crops—AKA polyculture. Growing more than one crop at once also meant that the chances were higher to make more income.

Today, they source their beans primarily from Colombia, grown by small farmers and cooperatives that partake in sustainable agriculture and regenerative farming practices. They pay fair prices for the coffee—above market rates, and even fair trade standards when possible.

Conor’s Experience: Community as a Resource

I wondered what kind of experience Conor had in food before all of this. He has a familiar connection to coffee and works on the roasting and sales side of coffee. But it’s another world of operating a retail establishment.

One of the details that is in his favor is that he is working with Mike Nelson, who founded Guilder and Junior’s. Mike will be a big help when it comes to training staff—including Conor himself.

But, as he said, “The truth is, I didn’t have any experience in working in coffee in the food industry before this.”

He continued, “But one of the great things about setting up the coffee business in Portland is that there is a depth of a community in the city. There’s such a bank of knowledge and expertise, which I’ve drawn on heavily. The goal is to start strong on day one.”

Having Good Quality Coffee at Cosmopolis Coffee

Conor is proud of and confident in the fact that what he brings to the cafe is really good coffee. “The coffee that I source is very high quality coffee and has been very well received. The community likes it.”

He described his coffee as being somewhere between fruit-forward and chocolate-nuts-dark-cherry tasting notes. They also do not do dark roasts at Cosmopolis; the darkest they go is dark-medium.

“I have a coffee it’s called Café Tolima, which is what I think of as a really good everyday coffee,” he explained. “It has good body, has some acidity, and a nice sweetness. For a lot of people, that is what they consider a good cup of coffee. “

He continued, “What’s interesting about Columbian coffees nowadays is—whereas before it was more associated with those traditional kind of coffees—now farmers are experimenting, and they’re doing a lot more with the process—prolonged fermentations, early fermentation, and that’s imparting a lot more variety and flavor to the coffee.”

He is excited, of course, to offer their core lineup of coffees, but is looking to expand that, as well. ‘We’re going to be getting samples in of some good Ethiopian coffee I want to have,” said Conor. “It’s an opportunity and an excuse to expand the lineup.” At the cafe, they will also feature coffees from Ethiopia, Guatemala, and other origins.

The Location

I was curious to know why Conor chose this location—of course, it was previously a cafe and was available, so that appeal was clear. But I was interested to learn more.

“There are a number of reasons,” Conor said. ” First of all, I think it’s a lovely space. It has character.”

He continued, “I like the lights, I like the size, it’s not too big, not too small. We’re really going to optimize the space to make a good experience for the baristas behind a bar, and then also provide seating.”

He doesn’t plan to change much as far as the footprint inside the space. For instance, the coffee bar will remain where it is, as is the seating placement (e.g., along the window, on the side).

“From a business point of view, I think it’s good because it is on a nice thoroughfare,” he explained. “It’s relatively busy, and then backs on to the neighborhood of Irvington.”

The city/PBOT improved NE Broadway for pedestrians and cyclists—and as a driver, I find it safer, too—and I’ve hear from a lot of people how much nicer it is to walk along NE Broadway, so hopefully these changes will encourage more foot traffic converting to more customers.

The Cafe: Look and Feel

So are they going to change anything as far as the look and feel, aka the vibe? The answer is yes. He said it’s an opportunity for for them to make it the way they want it to be, including lightening things up a bit.

“We want it to be bright and warm,” he said. “At the moment, I think a nice warm off-white will be the main color of the wall. We haven’t quite determined the finish of the wood yet. The bar itself will be something really nice, as well— hopefully it will reflect a little bit of the color scheme of Cosmopolis, which this nice earthy red in it.”

He added, “So, yeah, I hope it will be just a pleasant place to be—bright, but not cold.” Also looks for some plants. Plants are nice.

“We want the cafe to continue to be a neighborhood and community space where people can spend time over great coffee and pastries, as well as be a place to get coffee on the go.

What To Drink and Eat

Aside from coffee drinks, they’ll have tea, chai, and matcha, both cold and hot. And a rotating batch brew. As for alternative milks, soy and oat are in their plans right now.

“We’re going to have a really good pastry lineup—something like good muffins or scones,” he said. “And possibly quiches, but we’ll have to take that one as we go, for the moment. But we’re going to be talking with vendors very soon.”

Bags of Coffee

You’ll also be able to buy bags of Cosmopolis Coffee beans. In the meantime, though, you can find their coffee beans at the Alberta Co-Op, Barbur World Foods, Kaah Market on SE Foster, and Cafe Eleven in Woodlawn. His coffee is also sometimes featured at PDX Coffee Club. “I just love when we have coffee there because they just had a wonderful variety of coffee, and it’s great help there!” he exclaimed.

Opening

They are still working out the exact opening date, but at this point they are looking at a late October/mid-November opening. On the days they are open, 7am to 3pm will be their hours; they may tweak that as they get settled in.

All the best to Conor as he gets ready to open Cosmopolis Coffee the cafe!

Cosmopolis Coffee [projected opening late October/mid-November 2026]
2005 NE Broadway Street, Portland
Cosmopolis Coffee website | Instagram | Facebook

Updated September 9, 2026 with new opening timeline.