Our Story

Yellow Dog started in 2022 in a garage with a small coffee roaster, a lot of trial and error, and a simple goal: roast great coffee and share it with people locally. Some things haven't changed: coffee roasted in small batches, packed by hand, and delivered one order at a time. What started as a small operation quickly grew through word of mouth and the support of people in the community who believed in what we were building.

In October 2024, Yellow Dog opened its first retail location, creating a space where the roastery and a brand-new cafe could exist together under one roof. For the first time, customers could walk in, see our coffee roasting in person, and enjoy the same coffee being brewed just a few feet away. The cafe became more than a place to grab a drink, it turned into a space where people could slow down, meet with friends, work for a while, or simply become part of the daily rhythm of the shop.

The response from the community was bigger than we ever expected. As more people found us, the original space quickly started to feel too small for everything happening inside it. In December 2025, we moved into a new location that was more than double the size of the original shop. The extra room gave us the ability to roast more coffee, serve more guests, and continue growing while keeping the same atmosphere and approach that people connected with from the start.

Even as Yellow Dog has grown, the heart of the business has stayed the same. Community has always been the reason behind what we do. Whether it is remembering someone’s regular order, hosting local events, or creating a welcoming place to spend time, we have always believed coffee should bring people together. Growth has never been about becoming bigger for the sake of it, it's about creating more opportunities to serve the people around us.

In 2026, that same mindset led to the creation of Strong Grounds Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on supporting the health of children and families in our community through movement, resilience, confidence, and lifelong healthy habits. At every stage, our goal has remained simple: build something meaningful, care about people, and create a space that positively impacts the community around us.

Address

420 N Main Street Suite A, Manahawkin, NJ 08005