Introducing Our New Coffee Roasting & Distribution Facility!
January 30, 2015 (Published: January 30, 2015)
We’re excited to announce the opening of our new $1.1 million roasting facility and distribution center at 1925 Alum Creek Drive in Columbus. This expansion was made possible by the growth of our customers and partners, including the 12 new coffee houses that opened in 2014.
With more than double the space of our previous headquarters, our new center allows us to scale operations by more efficiently storing, roasting, packaging and distributing specialty coffee and coffee shop supplies to our customers. In 2015, we plan to ship more than half-a-million pounds of coffee to more than 350 independent coffee houses, specialty grocers, restaurants, and colleges and universities across 28 states.
Coffee quality continues to be our top priority. Every bean will be roasted in small batches under the supervision of Roast Master Dave Rochus. On a typical day, Dave and his team operate three gas-fired drum roasters, which tumble coffee beans to evenly distribute heat during roasting.
“Godzilla,” a Roure roaster that can process up to 325 pounds of coffee beans in each batch, handles our signature “Armando’s Blend” espresso beans, a 2013 finalist for the title of America’s Best Espresso.
Dave and his team use two smaller roasters – a 66-pound Roure model nicknamed “Little Red” and a 25-pound Probat machine, “Hansel,” to roast to order, allowing us to offer fresh-roasted coffee based on any size order. Watch the video below to see Hansel in operation.
A dedicated green coffee storage area keeps 140-pound jute bags and 30-gallon bins of raw coffee beans cool, dry and protected from light. At our previous facility, we typically stored about 27 varieties of green coffee beans from 14 countries in Central and South America, Africa and Asia.
High ceilings combined with venting and exhaust systems keep operating temperatures comfortable for the roasting and distribution staff. The building’s green innovations include new skylights, which create a brighter working environment and cut down on lighting costs.
Our team has a great enthusiasm and appreciation for this new space.We are excited to continue to increase our support for the independent coffee shop community and beyond!