Our Story
About ten years ago, a trip to Nicaragua introduced Brad, our roaster, to freshly roasted Central American coffee — and to the family farms growing coffee on volcanic slopes. After that first trip, Brad and his wife Shannon continued to travel to Central and South America, visiting small coffee farms. Hearing how the big corporations pay those family farmers pennies on the dollar for beans that end up in $4 cups settled it: from then on, only fair trade or direct-from-farm coffee.
Learning to Roast
Green beans turned out to be easier to get than good roasted coffee. At first, a Chicago coffee shop roasted Brad’s green beans for him. Then Brad got a small 300 g home roaster — about half a bag at a time. Friends and neighbors who tasted the results kept saying the same thing: “best coffee ever” — smooth and flavorful.
Sold Out in 24 Hours
About six months ago, Brad had to order 65 lbs of one green bean — more than he needed — so he posted the extra in the local lake community group. It sold out in 24 hours. Since then, more than 400 lbs of Brad’s coffee have gone out around the lake. Today Brad roasts on a Kaleido M10, two bags at a time, and still hand-inspects every bean.
