Ten Years of Coffee & Community
From a six-seat shop with a secondhand roaster to the neighborhood living room of Southeast Portland.
"We wanted a place where the coffee is taken seriously and nobody else has to be."
Copper Fern opened in the spring of 2016 in a former flower shop on Larkspur Avenue. The name comes from the copper kettle we used for pour-overs on day one and the ferns that already filled the front window. We roasted in the back room, baked on a single home oven and learned every regular's order in the first month.
Today the shop is bigger, the roaster is louder and the bakery has its own kitchen, but the idea is the same: carefully sourced coffee, made by people who care, in a room that feels like home.
Our values
Quality in every cup
We cup every roast before it reaches the bar and adjust our recipes daily.
Sourced responsibly
We pay above fair-trade prices and visit our partner farms whenever we can.
Rooted in the neighborhood
Local milk, local honey, local artists on the walls and local causes in our tip jar.
A great place to work
Living wages, health benefits and paid barista training for every team member.
Partners, not just suppliers
We buy from the same farms year after year, so they can plan, invest and grow better coffee.
Bright, floral coffees from family washing stations we have bought from since 2019.
Sweet, balanced lots from a cooperative of 40 smallholder farmers.
Chocolatey, full-bodied coffee grown at more than 1,700 meters.
A decade on Larkspur Avenue
- 2016The first pourCopper Fern opens on Larkspur Avenue with six seats, one espresso machine and a secondhand roaster.
- 2018Roasting goes full-timeWe upgrade to a 12-kilo roaster and begin selling beans to neighbors and local restaurants.
- 2021The back patioOur sunny back patio opens with string lights, planters and room for 30 more guests.
- 2024Our own bakeryAn in-house bakery joins the team, and the almond croissant becomes an instant favorite.
- 2026Ten years of coffeeWe celebrate a decade of roasting with a limited anniversary blend.
Join the Fern Club
Seasonal drinks, new roasts and a free drink on your birthday. One friendly email a month.