Tom Marlow and Ben Graffius were among the first to move into Fork Food Lab, and they will be the first to move out.

The men are the co-founders of White Cap Cold Brew Coffee Co., a start-up that specializes in trendy nitro-brewed coffee.

They’ve just signed a lease at 135 Washington Ave., the old Sahara Club space, where they plan to open Maine’s first cold-brew tasting room.

Their target moving date is January, but knowing how these things go, Marlow says they’ll be happy to open by mid-winter.

Marlow says he and Graffius feel fortunate to have been a part of Fork Food Lab.

“It allowed us to get into a space and essentially hit the ground running,” he said. “We didn’t have to worry about how many pairs of gloves we needed to buy and what sizes. We didn’t have to worry about the cleaning and sanitizing materials. We didn’t have to worry about dishwashing machines, and all the stuff that’s necessary but ancillary to the primary business. We could get in there on day one and focus on product.”

They also appreciated the opportunities to collaborate with other entrepreneurs – they made a coffee pudding with pudding-maker Gert & Lil’s – and they plan to source some of the food for their new tasting room from businesses they’ve built relationships with at the lab.

— MEREDITH GOAD