NEW ORLEANS — High Grinds, a neighborhood coffee bar pairing locally roasted coffee with a curated lineup of hemp-derived and mushroom products, opened its doors Dec. 2 at 1722 St. Charles Avenue in the Lower Garden District with a front-row view of the streetcar line.
“We wanted a spot where you could upgrade your whole day in one stop—great coffee, a little calm, and a front-row seat to St. Charles Avenue,” said co-owner Beth Galante. “High Grinds is basically our love letter to New Orleans mornings (and afternoons) with a side of wellness.”
High Grinds is owned by five business partners: Beth Galante; her husband, Scott Galante; Scott’s law partner at Galante & Ross LLC, Billy Ross; Ross’s wife, Jennifer Thornton; and Derek Domingue, who is also a business partner of the Galantes in Who Dat Spirits. Galante and Domingue serve as the managing partners of High Grinds, overseeing day-to-day operations and the direction of the business.
The first four partners purchased the building to house the Galante & Ross law firm on the upper floor. With a prominent retail space available on the ground floor, the group decided to develop a coffee and wellness business they believed would complement the neighborhood.
“New Orleans has many great coffee shops, but not a lot of choices in this stretch of St. Charles and the Lower Garden District. We also saw a gap for a place that treats caffeine and wellness as part of the same conversation. We’re giving folks a space where they can grab a serious cup of coffee, explore thoughtfully sourced THC and wellness products, and actually want to linger instead of just grabbing and running,” Galante said.
Bringing a Historic Building Back to Life
Dating back to around 1850, the High Grinds building posed unique challenges during renovation, Galante said. The owners preserved the original ornate flourishes including detailed ceiling medallions and a large wooden archway.
“Opening any brick-and-mortar in a historic building is a contact sport—permits, build-out, and turning an old space into something beautiful and functional has been a marathon,” Galante said.
In addition to serving as a managing partner at High Grinds, Galante is the CEO of Fortifyy, a home-resilience company that earned a national semifinalist spot in the Cleantech Open, the world’s largest clean-technology accelerator. Fortifyy helps homeowners and businesses install FORTIFIED roofs designed to improve storm resistance while reducing insurance costs.
Galante incorporated the same approach into the renovation of the High Grinds St. Charles Avenue location, installing a FORTIFIED roof that reduced the coffee shop’s annual insurance costs by more than $13,000.
Local Partners, Neighborhood Focus
High Grinds sources its coffee from Mojo Coffee Roasters, a New Orleans–based roaster that worked closely with the team during the shop’s development.
“We can’t compliment co-owner Matt Cronin and Mojo’s entire team enough – they have been incredibly supportive since we first envisioned High Grinds, from helping us find the best equipment, to taste testing various roasts with us, to training our baristas onsite over the past month so we can deliver great-tasting coffees and service to all of our customers,” Galante said.
Food offerings follow the same locally focused approach, with pastries baked daily by Gracious Bakery. That emphasis on local partnerships extends beyond the menu and into staffing and supplier relationships, Domingue said.
“Whenever possible, we start local: local coffee roasters, local bakers, and regional partners for our wellness and THC products who share our standards. On the hiring side, we’re building a team that reflects the neighborhood—people who know New Orleans, love service, and can pull a shot of espresso and recommend a product without sounding like a brochure,” Domingue said.
Ultimately, he said, the goal is to create an accessible space that feels welcoming to a broad cross-section of the neighborhood.
“We want people to know this is a place built for them: commuters, creatives, remote workers, neighbors, and anyone who just needs ten better minutes in their day. Come for the coffee, stay for the view of the streetcar, ask questions about anything on the wellness menu, and don’t be shy—we’re here to serve, not to judge how much caffeine you need,” he said.
“Long term, we’d love to be known as the St. Charles Avenue living room—a place locals recommend without thinking about it. From there, we see room to grow our wellness offerings, host more community events, and potentially expand the High Grinds model to other neighborhoods if the city will have us,” Galante said.
Navigating a Shifting THC Landscape
Domingue brings an extensive background in the spirits industry and has increasingly focused on the THC, hemp, and wellness sector in recent years, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the spirits market.
Industry experts say the hemp-derived THC sector represents a $28.4 billion national market, but recent federal legislation seeks to ban most hemp-derived THC products by late 2026. Louisiana currently permits hemp-derived THC products under the Farm Bill.
“On the THC side, we take regulations seriously and fully expect the rules to keep evolving. Our job is to stay compliant, stay informed, and keep building a business that stands on great coffee, hospitality, and community—things that will still be legal no matter what happens at the Capitol,” Domingue said.
