Mayorga Organics Relocating from Rockville to 120,000 Sq. Ft. Building in Pigtown
Mayorga Organics, a coffee, chia, quinoa, and beans importer and manufacturer based in Rockville, is moving its Maryland operations to a 120,000 sq. ft. building at 901 W. Ostend St. in Carroll-Camden Industrial Area/Pigtown. Mayorga Organics will purchase the one-story building on March 16th and begin a two-year renovation of the building.
The building is mostly-vacant, but home to Baltimore ToolBank, which will remain a tenant. It was once a bottled water packaging facility.
Mayorga Organics is spending $3.4 million on the purchase, about $2.8 million on a renovation, and another $3 million to $4 million on equipment.
Mayorga Organics expects to fully open in the city in mid- to late-2022.
Founder and CEO of Mayorga Organics Martin Mayorga said moving to a city like Baltimore is not the most efficient thing to do, noting he could have found space for less money in the suburbs, but he wanted to make the move to be a “positive impact” for the city.
“Too many companies don’t give Baltimore the attention it deserves, and I think a lot of that has to do with the demographics,” said Mayorga. “The only way to change that is to be part of it. I want to see the city grow and evolve.”
Mayorga was born in Guatemala, later moved to Costa Rica, and spent much of his childhood in Montgomery County. Mayorga said he has always been a big fan of Baltimore and attended many Orioles games with his dad.
Growing up around Latin America, Mayorga was always bothered by the poverty in those countries. He wanted to start a business to support Latin American farmers by buying their products at a fair price and keeping a relationship to help them grow.
Mayorga Organics has been around since 1997, starting in retail, but eventually moving to wholesale and online sales. Mayorga Organics sells its coffee beans and other products to Whole Foods, Giant, Costco, Amazon, and other stores. Individuals can also buy its products on its website and through Amazon. Mayorga said they just sell to the United States, but some Amazon purchases end up leaving the country.
Mayorga Organics has mostly left the coffee shop industry, but still has a licensed shop at BWI Airport.
Mayorga Organics has coffee products from countries including Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru, and Indonesia. It imports about 200 shipping containers a year. Mayorga is excited to be closer to The Port of Baltimore so that his containers spend less time traveling on trucks on I-95.
Mayorga looked into finding a facility closer to the port, but thought the area was isolated and liked the idea of being part of a community. He sees Pigtown as an area where he can buy and renovate homes and sell them back to his team at cost, and he likes the lower cost of living in Baltimore compared to the Washington, D.C. area. Mayorga also looks forward to making new hires from Baltimore.
Mayorga Organics currently has a 25,000 sq. ft. facility in Rockville, and ancillary warehouses in Columbia and Frederick. It also has a facility in Miami, Florida which will remain open.
The new Baltimore facility will roast coffee beans and pack and ship its products. It will also have a retail component for buying products as well as weekend tours and coffee education classes. Mayorga said the renovation will give the building a “more inviting” exterior.
Mayorga said he has received so many calls from brokers and developers since getting under contract on the Pigtown property, and said it’s “reaffirmation that it was a good decision.”
This was first reported by the Baltimore Business Journal
Photos courtesy of the Mayorga Organics Facebook page
About the Author: Kevin Lynch
Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.
