Earlier this year, 16 Oregon

by Martyn Leaper

E

arlier this year, 16 Oregon companies banded together to form the Oregon Coffee Board,

an association dedicated to promoting Oregon’s vibrant coffee industry. The state, particularly the city of Portland, has supported a strong market for coffee

a coffee timeline for portland and beyond 1851 The city of Portland is incorporated.

1850s–1880s More than 60 local merchants establish Portland as a major West Coast trading center.

1865 J.F. Jones launches his Portlandbased coffee and spice business,

roasting and trading for more than 150

J.F. Jones & Co.

years. Portland merchants developed a

1883

small but thriving tea, coffee and spice trade back in the 1850s, shortly after the

Arthur H. Devers and Joseph Closset establish the Closset & Devers coffee roasting plant in Portland.

incorporation of San Francisco’s pioneer Photo above: Boyd Coffee Co. wagons circa 1900. | photo courtesy of Boyd Coffee Co.

coffee roasters Folgers and Ghirardelli, laying the foundation for Portland

a br i e f h i s t o ry o f c o f f e e r oa s t i ng i n portla nd, or eg on

to become a major West Coast coffee importer. Today, roasters in Portland and throughout Oregon continue to

Boyd Coffee Co. truck. | photo courtesy of Boyd Coffee Co.

play a leading role in the specialty coffee

1900

industry.

later Boyd Coffee Co. By 1907, Boyd continued on page 42

P.D. Boyd founds Boyd Tea Co., is offering home coffee delivery throughout Oregon and Washington.

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41

A Brief History of Coffee Roasting in Portland, Oregon

tim eline contin u ed 1911 The first trade association for the U.S. coffee industry, The National Coffee Association

PORTLAND’S ROASTING ROOTS

tim eline contin u ed

Portland grew up quickly from its initial settlement in 1843 to its incorporation

1973

in 1851, and the city’s rapid growth was driven by an array of merchants and industries throughout the 19th century.

David and Susan

Portland’s geographic setting contributed

Kobos launch

USA, is formed. More than a century later,

to the diversity of its economy, as the deep-water port along the

the organization remains influential.

Willamette River bustled with ships full of goods fueling the California

The Kobos Co.,

gold rush. Merchant houses sprang up along SW Front and Second

Portland’s first

avenues near the river, and in two short years—from 1848–1850—the

1920 Coffee sales increase significantly as Prohibition takes effect.

1932 The Pacific Coast Coffee Association is established to support coffee businesses

micro-roastery.

village of Portland became a trading center with more than 60 emporiums selling everything from agricultural equipment to dry goods to coffee, tea, spices and more. Coffee was sold in 1-pound paper bags, most of it ground with large amounts of chicory. J.F. Jones—recognized as one of the “early roasters in the trade of the city” by William Ukers, the founding editor of Tea and Coffee Trade Journal— frequently advertised his wares in The Morning Oregonian. In one such

better and goes further,” while Closset & Devers advertised their coffee as “Just right!” At the beginning of the Great Depression, Portland was home to several

advertisement, dated Nov. 1, 1866, Jones declared: “The public are imposed

coffee manufacturers, but these were difficult times and many businesses

upon regarding the article of Coffee, as Inferior grades are being imported

were failing. During the dark days of 1933, the Oregon Coffee Roasters

constantly from California. In order to prevent imposition, purchasers

Association placed an ad in The Morning Oregonian reconfirming its commitment

should always inquire for the Fresh Ground Java A and Chartres Coffee,

to aiding the unemployed: “We have complied with our President’s Re-

put up at the Manufactory of J.F. Jones & Co.”

employment Agreement and have put into effect the Working Schedule

Competition was stiff, and merchants such as Jones were engaged in

suggested. WE HAVE DONE OUR PART To Provide Employment.” This

on the Pacific Coast of the U.S. and Canada.

a constant struggle to stay ahead of the pack. The trading of goods was a

affirmation of solidarity was put forth by Closset & Devers, Colonial Coffee

high-risk business. Much of what was sold was charged to accounts, and

Co., Defiance Tea and Coffee, Dwight Edwards Co., General Grocery Co., and

1953

the supply houses in the East were hungry for their cut of the trade—in

Wadhams & Co.

Folgers constructs a state-of-the-art roasting plant in northwest Portland.

1963 The International Coffee Organization (ICO)

some cases more than 60 percent of total revenues. Portland’s early days as a mercantile center were not only cutthroat,

Most of the pioneer coffee roasters of Portland’s early merchant days would eventually disappear from the industry’s landscape. One by one, each

becomes Coffee Bean International, the specialty coffee division of Farmer Bros. Co.

1982 The Specialty Coffee Association of

the forces of national crisis and competition.

America (SCAA) is formed to develop and

although his place of business was razed, he was able to live another day

Boyd Coffee Co.—originally called Boyd Tea Co. and now commonly

and set up shop at his home, placing the rest of his roasting and milling

known as Boyd’s Coffee—was founded in 1900 by Percival D. Boyd. The son

equipment in a neighboring iron works facility.

of pioneers, Boyd struck out on his own after working for a time as a grocery

By the 1880s, Portland had become an established port of call

clerk. He understood the power of brand identity and set about creating his which became extremely popular, and by 1907 his company was delivering

make his fortune. He arrived by stagecoach, and in 1883, he bought

coffee throughout Oregon and Washington.

1971

company Coffee Bean Distributors. It later

editorial in The Oregonian. There was one company, however, that endured all

coffee market and promote a sustainable

California.

Eugene, Oregon, to Portland, renaming the

into the Willamette River to save it from being destroyed by the fire, and

own blends from premium coffees. P.D. Boyd developed the Boyd Blend,

Coffee & Tea in Berkeley,

Coffee Bean Roasters (est. 1972) from

of the young town to the ground. Jones was forced to throw his roaster

at Folger, Schilling & Co., left San Francisco and came to Portland to

Alfred Peet opens Peet’s

Jeff Ferguson and Gary Talboy move

company slipped into obscurity, their fates often decried in an article or

and a regional trading hub. Arthur H. Devers, a former office clerk

1966

1976

but in danger of total destruction. The great fire of 1873 burned 20 blocks

is established to strengthen the global coffee economy.

David Kobos, 1974 | photo by Susan Kobos

Boyd Coffee Co. delivery truck circa 1940. | photo courtesy of Boyd Coffee Co.

into a partnership with Joseph Closset. The two men set up business in

Boyd Coffee Co. became famous for its horse-drawn red delivery wagons,

promote the specialty coffee industry.

1987 Howard Schultz purchases Starbucks, implementing organizational changes that

downtown Portland and, in Devers’ words, “Mr. Closset and myself were

which were eventually replaced with red trucks. During the company’s early

not only the owners, we were the entire force. He sold coffee on the road

days, Boyd’s trucks delivered goods from house to house, but by the 1920s

will lead to the company’s phenomenal

and I remained in the house. I was manufacturer, salesman, bookkeeper,

consumer purchasing habits changed, and more and more people were

and general manager.”

shopping at grocery stores. This change forced many coffee companies to

growth.

For 28 years, the Closset & Devers coffee roasting plant remained at SW Second and Ankeny. Devers noted in a 1929 Morning Oregonian article, “In our early years we obtained the bulk of our coffee through the Port

revise their marketing strategies, and by the 1950s, Boyd’s had introduced vacuum-packed coffee for sale in supermarkets. With each decade that passed, Boyd Coffee Co. has continued to grow

of San Francisco, but now most of it comes to us at Portland by direct

and innovate. The company was among the first in North America to obtain

steamers.”

organic certification and to import Rainforest Alliance-certified coffees. Most

1980s–1990s Dozens of craft roasters set up shop in

recently, in 2013, Boyd’s became the first U.S. coffee roaster to import and sell

Portland, establishing the city as a leader

The first Starbucks opens in

companies. Wadhams & Co., Defiance Tea and Coffee, and Dwight

Harvested by Women-certified coffee, which seeks to benefit women working in coffee production.

in the specialty coffee trade.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market.

Edwards Co. also laid claim to what was quickly becoming a coffee town. From the early 1870s to the early 1900s, local and regional papers were

Closset & Devers and J.F. Jones & Co. were not Portland’s only roasting

festooned with coffee ads placed by the ever-growing assortment of local roasters. Dwight Edwards Co. touted “dependable coffee” that “tastes

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“We didn’t achieve these firsts because we wanted to show off,” says Michael Boyd, the company’s coffee buyer and P.D. Boyd’s great-grandson, continued on page 44

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A Brief History of Coffee Roasting in Portland, Oregon

tim eline contin u ed On October 22, 1973, David and Susan

“but because we knew our customers deserved the level of quality

Kobos opened the city’s first micro-roastery

inherent in these innovations.”

1992

in a specialty mall at John’s Landing in

Back in 1955, Portland’s large coffee roasting companies

southwest Portland.

collectively were processing more than 50 million pounds of coffee

Brothers Dane and Travis Boersma

“The store was very successful, but our

every year. Folgers had come to town in 1953 and constructed a large,

open their first Dutch Bros. Coffee

state-of-the-art roasting plant in the Guild’s Lake industrial area

emphasis was on selling beans,” David Kobos

of northwest Portland. This new addition contributed greatly to

recalls. “We sold no beverages, but gave away

the ever-expanding local output. (Folgers sold their Portland plant

samples of brewed coffee. We bought our

to MJB Coffee in 1963.) A 1954 Sunday Oregonian article recognized the

green coffees primarily from B.C. Ireland

company now operates nearly 200

extraordinary achievements of the local coffee industry by declaring,

and Harold L. King & Co. Erna Knutsen

“Portland is quite a coffee-roasting center, and coffee imports

[who opened Knutsen Coffees, Ltd., in 1985

drive-through locations in seven states

represent a substantial share of the incoming cargoes at the port

after leaving B.C. Ireland] pioneered the

here.”

importing of Sumatran, Celebes, and Yemen mocha coffees. One of our first problems was

Coffee in vacuum-sealed cans became the typical consumer’s

cart in Grants Pass, Oregon. The

serving Northwest-roasted coffee. Bud Dominguez cupping in the early 1950s. photo courtesy of K & F Coffee.

2000

preference, and the competition between manufacturers had

whether we could sell our specialty coffees

never been fiercer. This eventually led to coffee production being

at over $2 per pound. In 1977, we experienced

concentrated among a few large national firms. The economy and

another great challenge—a frost in Brazil. Green coffee prices shot up from 80

The Roasters Guild is established

cents to $2 per pound.”

under the auspices of the SCAA.

convenience of vacuum-sealed coffee, however, appeared to be claiming a heavy toll on America’s consumer habits as consumption

The interior of the original Kobos Co. store. | photo courtesy of Kobos Coffee

Old Town, Beaverton and downtown Portland. Kobos notes that before his

of brewed coffee decreased significantly. George Boecklin, then president of the National Coffee Association, was quoted in The Oregonian on July 29, 1979, saying, “There has been a complete change in lifestyles. The new generation didn’t latch on to coffee. It moved fast, it was outdoors a lot, it liked new beverages packaged for picnics and barbecues, pop drinks, pop wines.” Boecklin’s observations underline the despair many coffee professionals likely felt during the 1960s and ’70s. For some, the craft of roasting and selling quality coffee appeared to be dead. The miracle of instant goods gripped the collective conscience of America’s homemakers and seemed to run in conjunction with the nation’s preoccupation with technology and progress. A growing minority

among the younger generation, however, rejected the status quo of conveniently processed foods and beverages, turning instead to healthful, flavorful gourmet alternatives.

PORTLAND ROASTING’S SECOND WAVE

David Kobos first came to Portland in 1965, after graduating from Harvard University. While attending Reed College in southeast Portland, Kobos fell in love with the city and the state. “I loved the city and all the outdoor opportunities the state offered,” he says.

“I became a serious hiker and mountain climber.” After earning a master’s degree and teaching history for a spell at Milwaukie High School, Kobos returned to the East Coast. During

Left: Harry Lewis Cafe circa 1943. Bottom: Boyd’s product display circa 1953. photos courtesy of Boyd Coffee Co.

this time, he and his wife, Susan, explored New York’s gourmet food culture. They soon returned to Portland with a plan to open a gourmet store featuring coffee, tea, spices and cookware. “We arrived in Portland in the summer of 1972,” David Kobos recalls. “Our plan originally was to ask Boyd’s to roast for us. We soon decided to go a different way, and I ordered a 12-kilo Probat from Germany through their agent in New Jersey.” David Kobos was mentored by J.K. (Bud) Dominguez, who later founded K&F Coffees with his son, Don. “Bud Dominguez was then a public weigh-master and had a sample roaster in his office,” Kobos explains. “On a rainy Saturday morning, he gave me my first roasting lesson. There was a large MJB roasting plant in northwest Portland and Bud introduced me to its plant manager. I got to visit and see a huge continuous-process roasting machine in action. It was in the shape of a long, 30-foot tube, perhaps 3 feet in diameter. The blend consisted of 20 different coffees. At the far end of the machine, every few seconds an arm would ‘kaching,’ dumping about 20 pounds of green coffee into the tube. At the front end, cooled roasted coffee spilled out. The entire process took seven minutes.”

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The Kobos Co.—now Kobos Coffee—went on to expand with locations in company opened espresso bars in 1980 and 1981, Nordstrom’s espresso cart was the only place in downtown Portland that served lattes. In 1972, Jeff Ferguson and Gary Talboy founded Coffee Bean Roasters— which would later become Coffee Bean International, the specialty coffee

2001 The first annual Roasters Guild

division of Farmer Bros. Co.—in Eugene, Oregon. It was one of the nation’s

Retreat is held at McMenamins Grand

first storefront specialty coffee roaster-retailers, according to Bruce Mullins,

Lodge in Forest Grove, Oregon.

a longtime employee of the company. Like Kobos, Ferguson and Talboy were drawn to the creative intricacies of the gourmet coffee culture. Mullins, now vice president of coffee culture for Farmer Bros., recollects, “Unlike today, when we were founded in the early 1970s, there were virtually no trainers, books, classes or Internet to facilitate learning to roast. Fortunately, Alfred Peet, the founder of Peet’s Coffee in Berkeley, was

2007–2013 Stumptown Coffee Roasters,

generous as a mentor, spending countless hours with our guys teaching them

which began in Portland in

to roast, buy green, and cup fine coffees.”

1999, sets up shop in Seattle

Coffee Bean Roasters moved to Portland in 1976, changed its name to Coffee Bean Distributors, and opened several stores in the Portland area.

(2007), New York (2009) and

Along the way, the company would become a charter member of the Specialty

Los Angeles (2013).

Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and change its name once more to Coffee Bean International (CBI). Today, the company continues to evolve with market demands and industry trends as the specialty coffee division of Farmer Bros. Co. “We’re doing some innovative things here to improve roasting and reduce our environmental impact,” Mullins says. “In fact, we operate the only LEEDcertified roastery in the Pacific Northwest and are striving to achieve zero waste-to-landfill by next year.”

2012 The SCAA Event is held in Portland.

During the late 1970s, specialty coffee found a firm foothold on both coasts. In the 1980s, canned coffee prices rose in response to crop failures in Brazil and revolutions in Central America. Many consumers started to question the value of canned, processed coffee when for a slightly higher price they could purchase quality arabica whole beans. Once again, consumer purchasing trends ruled the market, and a new day dawned for the specialty coffee industry. As noted earlier, Bud Dominguez and his son, Don, founded Kittridge and Fredrickson—or K&F—Coffee Roasters in 1983. The Dominguez family boasted

2014 Sixteen Oregon coffee companies form the Oregon Coffee Board to promote the state’s coffee industry.

continued on page 46

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45

A Brief History of Coffee Roasting in Portland, Oregon

1976. His experience as a chemical engineer for

grandfather, Captain Sven Fredrickson, sailed

General Foods and Folgers eventually led him to

profession we could be passionate about,”

around the world visiting coffee producers

become a powerful advocate for specialty coffee.

she says. “It was an easy decision as we

during the late 19th century and was a well-

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tried to find a business that would inspire

in 1989 by husband and wife Winfield and Joy

us to excel and saw it was one we could

roasting companies.

Durham. At their previous roasting company,

develop together.”

Coffee Express in Sitka, Alaska, the Durhams

World Cup Coffee & Tea (formerly

THE THIRD WAVE

Portland’s roasting community witnessed explosive growth throughout the 1990s and 2000s. In 1990, Don and Sue Jensen opened Bridgetown

Coffee, drawn to the craft of specialty coffee

Bud, grew up learning from the master roasters

had roasted coffee on a 2-pound machine. After

Office Coffee Service) got its start

of San Francisco. Bud later became a buyer for

moving to Oregon, they began roasting on an

distributing locally roasted coffees to

Folgers and directed quality control for the

L5 Probat—with a capacity of 5–11 pounds per

offices in the Portland metro area during

markets, Saturday Market, micro-breweries

company, setting many standards that helped

batch—in a tiny 600-square-foot shop.

the mid-1980s. For many years, founder

and health-conscious people, the general

Don Welch and his son, Dan, featured

consumer was expecting more,” says Kirk

shape the future of the coffee industry. During

Winfield Durham recalls, “I quickly

roasting by their passion for good food. “Between the expansion of farmers

the early 1980s, K&F Coffee Roasters was one of

upgraded to an L12 as demand grew, and

coffee from local micro-roasters Kobos,

Jensen, the company’s chief operating officer

only three specialty micro-roasters in Portland,

now we have an L25.” In 2011, Sisters Coffee

K&F and CBI. In the early 1990s, they

and Don and Sue’s son. “People weren’t

but the stage was set for a vibrant new roasting

Co. opened a second location in northwest

began roasting their own.

satisfied with just the ordinary. There was a

community.

Portland’s Pearl District.

Elsewhere in Oregon, several small

Sisters Coffee Co.’s first shop circa 1989. photo courtesy of Sisters Coffee Co.

Sisters Coffee Co. was established in Sisters

known supplier of fine coffees to San Francisco According to Don Dominguez, his father,

Hood River Coffee Roasters started as a homebased business in 1990. | photo courtesy of Hood River Coffee Roasters

“We realized we had stumbled upon a

a long history in the coffee trade. Don’s great-

Another husband-and-wife team, Mark

“Coffee roasting was a natural

A Coffee Bean Roasters store circa 1976. photo courtesy of CBI/Farmer Bros. Co.

need for good coffee. Don and Sue believed the

progression as we had a ready market for

flavor of coffee was best if it was fresh. They

roasting businesses sprang up, including Sivetz

Hudon and Peggy Thompson-Hudon, started

our specialty coffees,” says Dan Welch.

compared it to eating a fresh fish out of one of

Coffee, Sisters Coffee Co., and Hood River

Hood River Coffee Co.—now Hood River Coffee

They rebranded as World Cup Coffee & Tea

Oregon’s rivers. If you can roast your coffee and

Coffee Co. In 1981, Michael Sivetz founded

Roasters—in 1990. Thompson-Hudon worked

in 1995 and opened several retail outlets

consume it within a day or two, the profile just

Sivetz Coffee as a small retail shop in Corvallis.

for a short time at Los Gatos Coffee Roasting

soon after.

tastes better.”

A coffee pioneer in his own right, Sivetz is most

Co. in California before the couple opened their

famous for patenting the fluid-bed roaster in

own roastery in Oregon.

continued on page 48

CBI’s Paul Thornton in Guatemala circa 1991. photo courtesy of CBI/Farmer Bros. Co.

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47

A Brief History of Coffee Roasting in Portland Mark Stell, co-founder of Portland Roasting Coffee, developed his fascination for coffee during college. “I was involved with the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,

Just as David Kobos sought to bring gourmet coffee culture to sleepy Portland in the early 1970s, more than four decades later, coffee creatives continue to keep the movement alive and relevant.

Brazil, and discovered the export side and growing side of coffee,”

In 2007, Jeremy Adams and Andrea Pastor started selling their

he says. “I set a goal to someday have a business that would take

coffee at farmers markets. In 2008, they opened a cafe with their

me back to places like that.”

roaster in the cellar—hence the name, Cellar Door Coffee Roasters.

That was 1992. A year later, Stell started Abruzzi Coffee

“I really enjoyed the recipe testing challenge of it,” says Andrea

Roasters, a small retail roaster in northwest Portland. In 1996, he

Pastor, describing her initiation into the craft of coffee roasting. “I

and partner Todd Plummer opened Portland Roasting Coffee.

found it’s a lot like baking, which I love. It’s fun to be highly nerdy

“Our goal was to pioneer the first sustainably focused specialty coffee roaster in Portland,” says Stell. “We saw a need and a niche in the Portland market and nationally and decided to go for it.” In 1995, Dahna Maskell started her own roasting business,

about something so delicious.” Coava Coffee Roasters was launched the same year as Cellar Door, with a focus on single origins. “I created Coava because I wanted to independently taste

becoming one of the region’s first female master roasters. In 2001,

all the coffees that went into blends offered in Portland at the

Maskell brought her roasting expertise and her roasting business

time,” explains owner Matt Higgins. “I also wanted all of Coava’s

to McMenamins, a well-known Northwest pub, brewery and

producers to receive independent recognition for their extremely

hotel chain. McMenamins continues to operate Maskell’s original

hard work.”

roastery in north Portland, distributing their small-batch coffees to all 60 of the company’s locations. The punk culture of the 1990s resonated with Gen Xers weary

Heart Roasters and Water Avenue Coffee Co., which were founded within three months of each other in October 2009 and January 2010, respectively, exemplify Portland’s new-wave roasting

of globalism and the endless tide of crass consumerism. Portland

and cafe culture. Heart Roasters founder, Finland native Wille

and Seattle stood out as beacons of hope for youth seeking what

Yli-Luoma, retired from professional snowboarding and moved to

the mass media coined an “alternative lifestyle.” Portland’s indie

Portland to set up a roastery with a Scandinavian cafe vibe. Water

rock scene attracted droves of young people looking to embrace

Avenue Coffee Co. founders Matt Milletto, Bruce Milletto (Matt’s

creativity and become part of a community and a movement for

father), and Brandon Smyth brought decades of experience in

positive change. Stumptown Coffee Roasters’ indie, do-it-yourself

specialty coffee to their roasting venture.

aesthetic and dogged approach to quality and sustainability made it an instant hit with Portland’s growing youth culture. Duane Sorenson founded Stumptown Coffee Roasters in 1999,

“We decided to purchase a vintage French-built Samiac roaster from a company in Switzerland and set about building a new business around it,” says Matt Milletto. “A big part of what makes

after working in a number of Northwest cafes, bars and roasteries.

Water Avenue Coffee special is that it is a place where information

He held down several jobs to earn the money for his first vintage

and education is shared with not only the staff, but with our

roaster, and the rest, as they say, is history. Stumptown captured

customers and cafe patrons. Our mission is to get people excited

the imagination of many creative souls, and its unique, indie-

about coffee, and in our industrial neighborhood, we have a very

chic profiles continue to inspire coffee enthusiasts and food lovers

diverse clientele.”

alike. Today, Portland exudes an extraordinary passion for the craft of coffee roasting, with more than 50 roasting companies calling the city home. “The Portland and Oregon-in-general coffee roasting community has brought a respect and passion for the bean like it hasn’t had in the past,” says World Cup Coffee & Tea’s Dan Welch. “For me, it is the volume of roasters located in Portland that make

IS PORTLAND ROASTING STILL HOT?

Clearly Portland has a strong and dynamic roasting tradition, but is it a particularly good place to be a coffee roaster? Adam McGovern of Sterling Coffee Roasters, established in 2010, offers this thought: “Portland is

that statement unique. Around the nation and the world, you’ll

a perfect city for coffee roasters because we each contribute to a

find passionate roasters everywhere. In Portland, there seems to

quality-focused food and beverage scene that has made Portland

be a higher focus not only in the industry but in the general public

nationally celebrated, but from a purely technical standpoint, I

as well. Roasters diligently cup to adjust roast levels, seek out the

imagine every city would be a good place to roast coffee.”

flavor profiles of a single origin, hunt worldwide for a spectacular

Adds Jared Durham, director of Portland operations for Sisters

bean. Many roasters have taken their passion beyond the roaster to

Coffee Co., “As a roasting town, Portland is special because it

the farm level and have begun a more linear practice in sourcing.”

offers a broad range and history of coffee roasters. From fourth-

Welch adds, “While I talk about established small roasters,

generation Boyd’s to the tiny nano-roaster community, we have it

there is also a happening home-roasting community led by Mr.

all. It’s a diverse roasting landscape, which creates a unique and

Green Beans as a supplier and teacher of coffees and home roasting

educational roasting environment.”

and brewing equipment. This is where a lot of the new innovation and creative competition will come from in the future.”

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continued on page 50

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A Brief History of Coffee Roasting in Portland, Oregon

Din Johnson of Ristretto Roasters, established in 2005, focuses on how Portland’s roasting landscape has changed

P

make the same mistake twice. Basically, we play nice in the sandbox.” For innovative roasters continuously

when he notes, “Portland is getting more

honing their craft, enthusiastic customers

expensive. Starting a coffee roasting

add to Portland’s appeal.

business is still approachable, but costs are

“While there is a segment of the market

ortland’s appeal as a coffee town extends

rising due to the city’s growing popularity.

that is dedicated to ‘their’ shop, there are

beyond coffee roasters, as illustrated by

Also, you have a market that’s getting

also a ton of customers that want to go to

the recent and potential migration to the city

pretty saturated. You have a lot of roasters

a different roaster every week,” says Aaron

of some influential coffee-related nonprofits. In

in Portland now, albeit some are part-time.

Baker, wholesale director for Water Avenue

So yes, it is a good place to be a roaster, but

Coffee Co. “They are really looking to check

it’s getting more and more competitive and

out the best of what everyone has to offer

harder to stand out.”

and are willing to try new things.”

October 2013, the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE)—the folks behind the Cup of Excellence program—opened an office in northeast Portland. They plan to move the organization’s headquarters to the Rose City from Missoula, Montana, by the end of this year. Portland “is really a coffee hub for the

Portland Roasting Coffee’s Mark Stell agrees. “Portland was a great place to thrive

“Our customers are interested in taking the journey with us,” agrees Celeste Brady, who opened Extracto Coffeehouse &

Northwest and has easy access to Asia, so

early on as a specialty roaster,” says Stell,

Roastery in 2006 with her husband, Chris.

it made perfect sense,” says Susie Spindler,

“but when we started there were only 10

“They enjoy new offerings. They are often

executive director for ACE. “Portland has a very

roasters in the area. Now there are over 50

interested in the backstories of coffee and

vibrant coffee scene. It is close to Seattle and can

and counting. It is very difficult to grow

really appreciate quality. It’s fun to be part

also be a very easy stopover for any of our Asian

just on local consumption, but Portland and

of the amazing culinary community and to

Oregon have such a great food and beverage

get to hang out with creative folks who also

scene, our efforts are growing nationally

love coffeehouses.”

members coming into the U.S.” In addition to the city’s geographic appeal, she adds, “Portland and unique coffee go hand in hand. Portland has such a unique hand-crafted culture that special coffees and really talented coffee roasters just seem to fit.”   The Specialty Coffee Association of America

now.” It’s important to note that competition has its perks. “Competition is chiefly responsible for

Portland’s long and fascinating journey as one of the country’s most influential coffee towns continues to make history. From its scrappy beginnings as a frontier

driving improvement here,” says McGovern.

trading port to the heady days of the mid-

nonprofit working globally to improve coffee

“For instance, Stumptown’s top-quality

1950s to establishing itself as a dominant

and the quality of life for coffee producers—also

coffees set the bar for every micro-roaster

player in the specialty coffee world,

are working toward opening a joint office and

to subsequently define themselves in terms

Portland seems poised to enter a new phase

certified training lab in Portland.

of it. Our single-origin espresso program

of innovation and development. The recent

was meant as complement and contrast to

incorporation of the Oregon Coffee Board

Stumptown’s pervasive Hair Bender blend.”

should serve to unite the state’s roasting

(SCAA) and the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI)—a

“The SCAA has been working on a plan to staff regional offices that allow for a greater connection on the ground with local coffee communities,” says SCAA Executive Director Ric Rhinehart. “We are actively looking for good collaborative space in Portland that could house an SCAA lab and regional office, and where we

There’s also a strong spirit of camaraderie among Portland roasters. “The fraternal spirit within the coffee community in Oregon is remarkable,” says

companies in an organization that can promote the local industry nationally and globally. And while Portland has earned its

Bruce Mullins of CBI/Farmer Bros. “We are

reputation as a prominent coffee town,

coffee nonprofits. We are especially interested in

all competitors, yet we are also all good

most folks involved in the local roasting

continuing our long-standing relationship with

friends and love helping each other out.”

community remain focused on maintaining

could share space and resources with other

CQI, and are open to and interested in other collaborative partners.” When the new office opens—likely in spring 2015—most of CQI’s staff will be housed at the Portland location. The SCAA administrative offices will remain in California. “Portland has a great coffee culture, is an

“Oregon absolutely works and plays together quite well,” agrees World Cup’s

the integrity of the specialty trade and continuing to produce exceptional coffee.

Dan Welch. “It may sound strange and unnatural to others that as competitors we can share a beer, talk about things that affect the business and still go home

MARTYN LEAPER’s passion for and interest in the coffee industry was handed down from his

without a concern. Of course, we are all

grandfather, Cyril Joseph Kenrick, who worked in

jockeying for some of the same business,

coffee and tea in Kenya for more than 40 years. Martyn

but that’s the thing that will keep our

has been roasting coffee for eight years and currently

independent businesses at their peak.

manages the coffee program for McMenamins. He’s

and a vibrant community of next-generation

Competition will only improve what you do.

also an avid history reader and a singer-songwriter for

coffee entrepreneurs.”

If you lose, then figure out why and don’t

the indie pop band The Minders.

extraordinarily livable city, has great public transportation and is appealing to many of the folks who work in coffee nonprofits,” Rhinehart says. “Portland has both a long tradition of coffee

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