Coffeepreneur
You always hear people say, "Do what you love.". Well, I love coffee. I started drinking when I was I was 10 and 15 years later it remains my passion. My first cup was laden with milk and sugar, hardly coffee at all, and from there, I went to three lattes a week on my way to jazz band rehearsal. It was expected that I would show up a few minutes late with my daily special in hand.
From there though, I moved to Portland, and truly, what better playground for coffee. With Stumptown roasting and the little cafes wielding their portafilters; Bi-Partisan, Rimsky-Korsakoffee and Pied Cow, late night study sessions at Java Vivache, and the relative new comer, Albina Press, with their award winning baristas.
It was there that I touched the surface to realizing the depth of coffee. Coffee has over 800 discernible flavor components, that's twice the amount of wine! And so much of it is missed by the common coffee drinker because they can only access stale flat coffee beans beaten to death by a blade grinder. I had no idea how flavorful a coffee could be until I had my first cup of Ethiopian Harrar fresh from a french press. And I learned how much more amazing a latte could be with creamy, dense foam and just a hint of Monin syrup.
And so, it began.
Now, at 25, married, staying at home with two kids, I hope to realize my dream of bringing all of this to a town of 60,000 in the mid-west. I want to provide the most amazing experience, like you only could in a west coast city, and gift it to the people of this college town. Now, not to decieve, I currently live in Tacoma, Washington, but we're planning to move in about nine more months, so now is the time to prepare. Beyond just giving an incredible experience, I also want to educate consumers about why fair trade is important and give 10% of all profits back to charities working in coffee producing countries.
I ordered my first roaster just days ago, a small Behmor 1600 1 lb. home roaster that I hope to use to find my favorite origins, suppliers and roasts on. I guess you could call this research and development. My hope is to get things in order in time to sell at my local farmer's market in the spring. So, I'm here to invite you along on my journey. I want to share with you my trial and error, my successes and my failures, and I want to grow with your advice, suggestions and accountability.
Currently Reading: "The Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Coffee Bar" by Susan Gilbert and "Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee" by Dean Cycon
From there though, I moved to Portland, and truly, what better playground for coffee. With Stumptown roasting and the little cafes wielding their portafilters; Bi-Partisan, Rimsky-Korsakoffee and Pied Cow, late night study sessions at Java Vivache, and the relative new comer, Albina Press, with their award winning baristas.
It was there that I touched the surface to realizing the depth of coffee. Coffee has over 800 discernible flavor components, that's twice the amount of wine! And so much of it is missed by the common coffee drinker because they can only access stale flat coffee beans beaten to death by a blade grinder. I had no idea how flavorful a coffee could be until I had my first cup of Ethiopian Harrar fresh from a french press. And I learned how much more amazing a latte could be with creamy, dense foam and just a hint of Monin syrup.
And so, it began.
Now, at 25, married, staying at home with two kids, I hope to realize my dream of bringing all of this to a town of 60,000 in the mid-west. I want to provide the most amazing experience, like you only could in a west coast city, and gift it to the people of this college town. Now, not to decieve, I currently live in Tacoma, Washington, but we're planning to move in about nine more months, so now is the time to prepare. Beyond just giving an incredible experience, I also want to educate consumers about why fair trade is important and give 10% of all profits back to charities working in coffee producing countries.
I ordered my first roaster just days ago, a small Behmor 1600 1 lb. home roaster that I hope to use to find my favorite origins, suppliers and roasts on. I guess you could call this research and development. My hope is to get things in order in time to sell at my local farmer's market in the spring. So, I'm here to invite you along on my journey. I want to share with you my trial and error, my successes and my failures, and I want to grow with your advice, suggestions and accountability.
Currently Reading: "The Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Coffee Bar" by Susan Gilbert and "Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee" by Dean Cycon
Labels: Coffee, Entrepreneur, Farmer's Market, Portland, Roast
posted by Tracy Little | 7:20 PM
2 Comments:
(Michele here:) How, pray tell, would one purchase coffee from you? I am fascinated by your column and would love to travel this journey with you.
You're too kind :) As of right now I'm waiting for the shipment of my roaster, then I need to go through a time of trial and error, but as soon as I'm up and making coffees that I'D drink, I'll let you know!
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