ERIC HODOS, CO-OWNER OF THE RELATIVELY NEW COMPASS POINT COFFEE IN MILLVALE | PHOTO BY NAOMI GIRSON

Compass Point Coffee doesn’t just have the beans, it has The San Franciscan, a $60,000 commercial roaster. And in a nod to its name, the shop’s motto is “be kind to your fellow traveler.”

The coffee shop, opened on April 19 in Millvale, is a new frontier for co-owner Eric Hodos, an Army vet, and his business partner, Rebecca Pietrusinski.

Both are involved in the band, The Altered Egos, which formed in 2021. They play covers across genres and perform original songs and keep a copy of their record on the wall of the coffee shop. Hodos plays the guitar and harmonica and write some of the original music; Pietrusinski plays a variety of instruments and sings. Hodos’ wife, Ann, also is a member and sings and writes original music.

Beyond music, roasting coffee has been one of Hodos’ passions for the last 15 years. He’s been selling coffee for the last two.

Compass offers a subscription model for their coffee. Customers can choose the type of coffee, select the subscription type and have the coffee delivered monthly. The subscriptions offer perks for both Hodos and the consumer; it provides discounts for customers and gives Hodos more clarity in his sales forecasts.

The beans are sourced from mainly East Africa and Indonesia, which is where Hodos says he and his partner have found the best flavor profiles.

Within their establishment — formerly a candy shop Hodos roamed as a child — they have their industrial-sized coffee roaster (nicknamed Archibald) taking up half the floor plan behind the counter.

THE SAN FRANCISCAN COFFEE ROASTER NICKNAMED ARCHIBALD AT COMPASS POINT COFFEE IN MILLVALE | PHOTO BY NAOMI GIRSON

And they have their coffee bar. Hodos offers cold brew, espresso, lattes and more as well as five housemade flavor shots: vanilla, blueberry, raspberry, caramel and their spice mix, a vanilla cinnamon blend.

Hodo’s main frustration with the store and the location on Evergreen Avenue, he says, has been the area road construction and frequent detours that has made it difficult at times for patrons to get to his shop.

I made it there with no trouble, and had an iced latte with a spice mix flavor shot and drank the whole thing before I even got to my car. The coffee was rich and rejuvenating (and normally I prefer tea), and the syrup pump enhanced the coffee’s flavor profile without being overly sweet.

The shop also offers light pastries and may look to add more food in the future.

Hodos said since their opening on they have received kind customers and good business. He either greets every patron by name (or at least can recall their usual order), and he introduces himself to first-timers.

They also do roast nights — not what you might think — but a $40 all-you-can-drink coffee night with a full walkthrough of the roasting process and a fresh pound for customers to take home.

In reference to its motto about being kind to fellow travelers, Hodos tries to uphold this sentiment as the company’s mission.

“We want just basic humans to come in, and have a good experience.That tied right into compass point — traveler,  like finding your way — finding your direction. So that’s why compass makes sense,” Hodos says.

Compass Point Coffee is at 1149 Evergreen Ave., Millvale and is open Monday and Tuesday 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday, Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.