Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Matt on December 27, 2007 at 6:53am

Hello, I just joined the Barista Exchange website and am very excited about all of the networking and knowledge sharing opportunities. I saw this group for roasters and joined right away! I own two retail locations, one in Bay City, MI and one in Frankenmuth, MI. I do all my roasting at my Bay City location on a Deitrich IRC-7 roaster. I look forward to learning and sharing information about roasting and enjoying great coffee!

Permalink Reply by Steve Kessler on December 29, 2007 at 8:14am

Matt,
Welcome to the group! Two locations....that's great. How's the roasting going for you? I work for a roastery in AZ doing customer service and some (not enough in my opinion) roasting. When I roast, I use a 25K Probat. Once again, welcome to the group.

Permalink Reply by Mike Shipley on December 30, 2007 at 5:30pm

Owner/Roaster at CONSCIOUS CUP COFFEE in Crystal Lake, IL. Primo PRI - 20. Mike Shipley.

Permalink Reply by Steve Kessler on December 30, 2007 at 5:35pm

Welcome to the group Mike. I've been to Crystal Lake a few times, very pretty out that way. How's the coffee community out by you?

Permalink Reply by Mike Shipley on December 30, 2007 at 9:37pm

Thanks Steve,

I just joined Barista Exchange the other day... what a great site!

We've been open for about two years now and we've got a strong following and a positive response from our community. Specialty Coffee is a bit tricky in the suburbs. Our competition is major chains. Unfortunately, our area hasn't seen a lot of sustainable independent cafes. This gives us competitive edge but also means we're somewhat alone in educating our consumer. I think it's changing though... It's always nice to see the "average" consumer find out that coffee is a seed.

Thanks again for the warm welcome.

Permalink Reply by Ryan Knapp on December 31, 2007 at 3:25pm

Hey Mike,

I definitely feel your pain with the struggle to educate customers in the suburban area. We've also been plagued with a history of bad independent coffee shops in the area. But I guess it's just a patient process. And it is always nice when customers do take interest and want to learn more about the art of coffee.

Permalink Reply by Mike Shipley on January 1, 2008 at 11:52am

You're right Ryan...
I think the impression that the suburbs aren't cultured enough for specialty coffee is wrong. Our customers are great and once they come in we can retain their business because they can recognize the difference.

Permalink Reply by Alexarc Mastema on January 3, 2008 at 7:36pm

I'm Alexarc Mastema. I work for The Black Drop Coffeehouse. I roast on a little baby Primo, PRI-TT-EC. Which is a 2 KG.

Permalink Reply by Sean Grant on January 7, 2008 at 11:17am

Hey Steve Happy 2008! We roast on a Diedrich IR24 (24 Kilo). It produces a wonderful roast, plus it is enjoyable to show to new customers. We get a lot of ooohs and ahhhhs (SMILE). We are located in the Shoreline area of Seattle, just north of the University of Washington.

Permalink Reply by Steve Kessler on January 7, 2008 at 3:37pm

Happy 2008 back at ya Sean! I have to get out to Seattle one of these days. I have a feeling I'd fall in love with it and not want to leave. Anyways, welcome to the group Sean and best of luck with everything!

Permalink Reply by Sean Grant on January 7, 2008 at 6:05pm

Yeah who knows you just might get tired of all of that sunshine down there and move to a place where it rains about 364 days a year (SMILE).

Permalink Reply by Owen O'Neill on January 29, 2008 at 5:48am

Good thread and group - nice to be here. I'm Owen O'Neill and at present I roast for Freedom of Espresso in Syracuse NY. I've been their roaster for about 3 1/2 years and work on two different Sivetz 1/4 baggers. I love and hate the Sivetz but am itching to get my own operation launched - which is about to happen.

I purchased a Diedrich IR-3 in May 2006 and rented space but a death in the family and other circumstances threw a wrench in the works. My schedule (I do have a day job other than roasting) has lightened up a bit, seed money is in place and I found a much better space - buildout to be finished ina few weeks.

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