Coming soon to the downtown Hammond district is a coffee shop owned by four young adults from Louisiana.

The creators of Luma Coffee Roasters, couples Devin and Catherine Masters and Logan and Shelby Torrance, came together about five years ago to learn more about coffee and form their own coffee roasting company. In December 2020, the entrepreneurs signed the lease for their first coffee shop location, the old Central Rexall Drugs building on East Thomas Street.

Over the past couple of years, they have been operating as a coffee cart in The Mission Church in Hammond, where the Masters are worship leaders and the Torrances are youth pastors.

Catherine Masters expressed the importance they place on preparing coffee for their customers. She shared what it has been like being able to share their creations with the community through their coffee cart, which will remain in business when the shop opens.

“It’s been a really small window that we are able to have face time with our customers and to serve our customers,” she said. “But that’s been a really cool stepping stone, and we’ve definitely learned a lot through having the espresso cart there and built a lot of great relationships and started that process of education with our customers.”

The business brainstorming began after university alumni, Devin and Catherine, got married in 2015. They visited Nashville on their honeymoon, where, according to Devin, they experienced coffee on a level they never had before.

“On the way back, we talked and talked and talked and came up with a name, and we just started making plans and making dreams,” shared Devin. “We actually drew a few logos on the way.”

Not long after that, the couple decided to ask Logan and Shelby Torrance to join them on their coffee company journey.

According to Catherine, they initially learned how to roast their own coffee in their apartment using a Whirley Pop popcorn machine before they saved enough money to purchase a legitimate coffee roaster. Devin and Logan took classes to further their knowledge of coffee roasting and became certified through the Specialty Coffee Association.

“We did a few in Hammond, and then I drove to Jacksonville, Fla., over a period of a year and completed all of my certification stuff,” said Devin. “I knew that this stuff — it’s not magic. It’s not just trial and error, but it really is a science. I wanted to understand exactly how to get the best product and how to create the best products.”

The roasters faced some obstacles before finally solidifying the lease on the Hammond location, from lack of funding in 2017 to losing the lease to another company, then the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. In November, they were able to start negotiations again and officially signed the lease in December.

“When I tell you, it was surreal — it still hasn’t hit us because it’s been such a big dream in our hearts for so long, not only to open up a brick and mortar location, but to open up in this specific building is really a dream come true,” expressed Catherine.

Catherine and Devin want their coffee shop to be a place where visitors and community members feel comfortable and welcome.

“Our new shop is going to be called the Luma Coffee: Roastery and Social Club because we believe so deeply that it is social and that we will have a space for members of the community to come to relax and read a good book or to have coffee with a friend or for students to come work on projects together in our upstairs loft,” said Catherine.

Customers will be able to see the entire roasting process, from raw coffee beans to a cup of brewed coffee. Additionally, the location will offer classes for anyone interested in learning about the coffee roasting process.

The business owners feel their shop will bring something unique to downtown Hammond that they hope will not only help with their success but also add to the success of the whole city.

“Nothing against anywhere else, but the level that Luma Coffee Roasters is going to operate on is going to be something that Hammond has never seen before,” said Devin. “That’s something that we take pride in. That’s something that we’re very excited about, and that’s something that I feel like is going to push every other place in Hammond to take themselves to the next level.”

The grand opening of the Luma Coffee: Roastery and Social Club is tentatively scheduled for mid-March/early April.