Pursuing a Dream

Building a coffee legacy over 20 years
Many years were spent in the pursuit of a creative outlet.
I am neither creative nor talented in the classical sense. There is no workmanship buried in my hands.
Painting? Nope, I quake a bit.
Writing? I’ve tried that too; my hands can’t keep up with my caffeinated brain.
Then, one day, in a quest to open a small coffee house, driven by a passion for the beverage, I ordered some green coffee that I might grasp a very basic understanding of the process of roasting. Picture me with a three-quart saucepan, an electric stove, and a burning curiosity.
And that, my friends, is how Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee Company was conceived.
The next step was to have a small, mesh-drum charcoal roaster built. I had a vision, but limited means, and no customers.
I practiced, I got more coffee, I practiced more, then I started giving coffee to people to try. On July 1, 2001, I was given my first business license.
A business was born.
The first year and several months were mostly spent learning about coffee, roasting, and getting some small revenues. Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee Company was small but determined. I spent a great deal of time searching the world (from my desktop) trying to find a wood-fired coffee roaster. Really, I thought it would be easier than it turned out to be, but in the end, things worked out quite well.
I found one manufacturer in Spain and another in Costa Rica, but decided to attend a Specialty Coffee Association event in Las Vegas to find a U.S. manufacturer that could build what I needed.
No luck, they all proposed a modified gas roaster that would roast with gas and infuse smoke. This was not what I needed or desired. As I was about to resign myself to figuring out how to get a Spanish roaster, I met Cal and Max.
They were among the few wood roasters in the United States, and the representative for the Balestra brand (the manufacturer of my roaster.) They were selling their demo roaster that doubled as a backup and it was too small to fit their needs.
Everything worked out.
On November 7, 2002, I opened my shop in its current location. A lot of time was spent figuring out how to roast on this fabulous new-to-me machine, plus pay the rent. In January 2003 I met Nancy at Dish Café and Catering and she ordered some coffee to serve to their customers.
They were not my first client, but we still provide their coffee.
Knock Knock Knock.
That is how it started.
When I first opened my shop, I had no thought of foot traffic. The website, on the other hand, was operational within a few weeks of getting my business license.
The shop’s door was never open, and, quite frankly, the roaster was rarely on. I was hanging out at my desk one day trying to figure out where the next customer was going to come from when out of the blue there was a knock on the door.
It was my next sale. My first retail visitor came into the roastery.
Inside, I celebrated.
Outside, I put a sign up and kept the door open. Hours were posted on the website, and Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee has steadily and consistently built that aspect of the operation ever since.
In fact, customers are at the heart of all I do. Hearing of and seeing customers’ love for what I craft daily, how it brings a smile to their lips with that first sip, and how I get to help begin someone’s day with the taste of my coffee…I’ve come to realize that’s what I do this for.
Today
I do it to help new customers explore different varieties and find their favorite.
I do it for regular customers like Eric Swanson and Kim Roberts, who share positivity in return, such as, “The aroma and taste of Tim’s coffee each morning is one of life’s little treasures. It’s so good we even travel with it, and we love trying his new coffees through the Coffee of the Month Club. Great quality and well worth the fair price.”
Not only are my coffees sold in the shop plus several cafés and retail outlets around the region, longtime partners like Two Chicks serve Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee to their thousands of customers.
Feedback like that of Haley Moseley, co-owner of Two Chicks, also keeps me going:
“We couldn’t be more grateful for Tim. He worked with us at the beginning of our restaurant planning to develop the perfect flavor profile for our house coffee. We are very proud of our coffee and people absolutely love it. Over the years, he continues to personally deliver the beans he roasts especially for us. We consider him to be a part of the Two Chicks family and our restaurants wouldn’t be the same without him.”
Lessons about business over the past 20 years
Everybody else is an expert.
You would not believe the number of times I have been told that I can’t do what I am doing. One of the top names in the coffee industry told me not to roast with wood. Small business counselors told me my multi-market model won’t work, e.g. I can’t do both retail and wholesale.
To them, I say, “My customers, my awards, my accolades, show I CAN!”
I’ve only followed my heart.
But along that path, I’ve learned many things. Just a few are:
1) It’s okay to be me when everybody else is trying to conform to “industry norms” and trends.
2) It feels really, really good to see someone smile because of my art.
3) If you didn’t love it, I couldn’t do it.
Customers, often who have become friends over the years, drop in to chat while grabbing their beans. They share tales of their family and friends who have also come to love Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee. They express how the flavors I elicit from the beans are something they look forward to daily; that what I’ve developed through years of trial and error, research and development, and a fervent passion for the beans that rejuvenate us every day brings them joy.
In a nutshell, without loyal coffee drinkers enjoying my craft, I would not have lasted more than a minute in the business, let alone 20 years.
It is truly a humbling experience to have you return time and again to gather some beans for the start of your day. I appreciate each one of you for your continuing support of this small roastery.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart…and roaster. Here’s to another 20 years of Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee Company!

Thank you Natasha Bourlin of Passport and Plume for your assistance in producing this post.