ROCKPORT—With little fanfare and no grand opening, Kiri coffeehouse opened on the corner of routes 1 and 90 in Rockport on June 6, two weeks before its sign appeared on the lawn at the busy intersection.

Owner Ebinumo Amabebe, 37, who goes by Ebi (pronounced A-B), has clocked some time in the coffee business. He grew up in Camden (with several moves to other states in between) and returned in 2021. 

Amabebe's family is from Nigeria, and the word "Kiri" is a word in the Nembe language meaning "earth" or "gathering place."

"My partner, Chelsea LaBree, and my younger sibling, Salimatu, helped me with the creative process," he said. "We wanted a name that spoke to the place and connected it to Nigeria, so along with the idea of good hospitality, the name connects to coffee, which comes from the ground."

While his career background is primarily in the tech sector (he also owns a software development company), Amabebe veered into the coffee business after college, in his 20s, while living in New York City, where he worked as a barista. 

"I liked making really good coffee, the creativity, and talking to people," he said of his former job. With savings from his company, he leased the Rockport space, which had previously housed Cellardoor Winery Tasting Room, and after that, 47 West. 

"A big part of Kiri is to make a really good cup of coffee without the intimidation," he said. He sources coffee beans from Sey, a contemporary microroaster and cafe in Brooklyn, which he personally favored during his time in New York. 

"They are exceptional," he said. "They win accolades every year and have connections with all of the plantations they work with."

Kirí typically offers two rotating specialty single-origin coffees. Depending on availability, they may feature coffees from Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, or other producing regions. Their program focuses on lighter roast profiles, highlighting the unique characteristics of each origin.

"Here, you can always expect a well-prepared cup of coffee," he said. "With coffee, you need to follow a recipe every single time, have the correct dosage, the correct shot time, and the correct extraction. It's not just putting coffee in the machine."

He continued: "I've been to a lot of coffee places around the world and have seen their equipment, what beans they use, but if they don't have a barista that can bring out its best, it can end up being a really bad cup of coffee — over-extracted, bitter, sour. I'd like to think the best cup of coffee you can have will have body, clarity, and floral notes, depending on what we're pulling that day."

The coffee shop also offers teas sourced from Blue Willow Teahouse in Berkeley, California.

Additionally, Kiri offers  Zobo, a Nigerian hibiscus tea; a Mazagran, a black sticky rice tea; and lemonade.

Amabebe and LaBree are at work at 5 a.m. each morning baking croissants, muffins, and cinnamon buns. Soon, they will expand by roasting their own beans and offering breakfast to-go sandwiches. 

The exterior grounds of Kiri have been cultivated for years and resemble a mini botanical garden. Inside, the airy, comfortable solarium boasts an oversized pine table that Amabebe and LaBree built together. 

It's not just coffee. It's a whole coffee experience. 

To learn more visit Kiri's Instagram page. 

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com