Meet Surreala Coffee Co., a recently-opened local business bringing designer coffee and a new perspective to the Star City.
Roanoke native Markus Ballengee has always been drawn to coffee and the experiences surrounding it. For years, he dreamed of opening his own shop, but it wasn’t until his professional track and field career was cut short that he turned to his long-time passion.
Surreala Coffee Co. opened on Franklin Road Southwest last February. Named after the Surrealism movement, Ballengee’s family-run coffee truck is centered around art and creativity to encourage its guests to find beauty in the unexpected — including during their coffee breaks.
“My latte art is not great, even though you think it should be considering where our name comes from,” Ballengee says. “But Surrealism is about how you view things.”
Surreala’s menu has everything from drip and pour over coffee to flavored lattes and matcha. The shop also serves pastries and freshly-toasted Blue Ridge Bagels from Lynchburg, and features new horchata- and cold brew-scented candles made using leftover ingredients.
The menu is really just a suggestion, because Ballengee says he’ll make any coffee order happen. “We take the time to ask people what they really like, and we make it specific to them,” he says.
Ballengee’s coffee knowledge comes from first-hand experiences, like working at Wells Coffee Co. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and frequenting Onyx Coffee Lab during his time at University of Arkansas. Now, Onyx supplies Surreala’s beans.
“They know what they’re doing, and I wanted to bring specialized, designer coffee to Roanoke,” Ballengee says. “Onyx focuses on education and detail, like where their beans come from and how long they’re roasted.”
This is just the beginning for Surreala. Ballengee, who splits his time between Roanoke and Miami, plans to expand the business to brick-and-mortar shops in Roanoke and Southern Florida.
The truck moves, too. Look out for Surreala appearances at local businesses and events, like at Hustle Haven on Sunday, April 7 and Cars and Coffee on Saturday, May 11. Ballengee also has plans to visit a few local schools to help caffeinate teachers.
Surreala Coffee Co. is open at 2901 Franklin Rd. SW Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
