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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Hypergoat Coffee Roasters is building out a cafe and roastery in the former First Agape Baptist Community of Faith building in Del Ray, according to city permits posted in the storefront window at 2423 Mount Vernon Ave.
The commercial building permit, BLDC2025-01269, was issued May 26 and puts the estimated construction cost at $350,000. It describes a tenant build-out that includes a barista counter with coffee equipment, a seating area, a coffee lab and roasters area, and a small commercial kitchen with a hood and wash area. The tenant space is listed at 3,051 square feet and classified under the A-2 use group covering restaurants and night clubs.
Three trade permits followed in July, adding $82,500 in work: mechanical on July 9, valued at $28,000; electrical on July 12, at $35,000; and plumbing on July 13, at $19,500. The Russell Gage Corporation of Alexandria is listed as the general contractor.
The building permit carries a 2025 application number but was not issued until this May, and expires Nov. 22. The property owner is 2423 Del Ray Holdings LLC, which lists the building as its mailing address.
Hypergoat's website lists two locations, its cafe at 215 N. Payne St. in Old Town and a stand at the Burke Farmers Market in Fairfax County. The company has continued promoting the Old Town cafe, announcing a second-anniversary celebration there Aug. 22, and has not publicly mentioned a Del Ray location.
Rodrigo Ramos, who co-founded the business and serves as head roaster, declined to discuss the project with The Alexandria Brief Friday, saying it was too early and that the company preferred to keep plans low-key while it continues to develop them. He said Hypergoat would share more when ready.
Ramos and Deborah Joos founded the business in 2023. The husband-and-wife team began roasting in a Southern California garage in 2015 before moving east, and opened the Old Town cafe in August 2024. Trade publication Daily Coffee News reported that year that Hypergoat roasts at a roastery on the owners' property.
First Agape Baptist Community of Faith, founded in 1999 by the Rev. Dr. Daniel L. Brown with 94 members, bought the Mount Vernon Avenue property in March 2003 for $1,825,000. The congregation sold it Aug. 10, 2023, to 2423 Del Ray Holdings LLC for $3.1 million, city property records show. The church's website lists a new home at 2300 Burke Ave., with services beginning March 2, 2025.
A case study published by Tartan Properties, which represented the church in the sale, says the congregation struggled to maintain the building amid gentrification and an aging membership, and sought a buyer who would consider keeping affordable housing units it had operated on the second level for more than 20 years.
The parcel's assessed value has nearly tripled since the sale, rising from $1,160,373 as of January 2024 to $3,365,120 this January, city records show.
The build-out comes amid broader ownership changes on the avenue. Alexandria-based Bonaventure Realty sold 2525 Mount Vernon Ave. and the 2401-2419 retail stretch in May to an affiliate of Ganges Property Group of Sterling, the Washington Business Journal reported. Ganges holds a special use permit and has a site plan under review to convert the vacant former human services office at 2525 into 25 short-term residential units above a daycare, a private swim school and a restaurant. Those properties are separately owned from 2423 Mount Vernon Ave.
Ryan Belmore is the founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief. Send questions, news tips, and feedback to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
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