Will Hedrick, roaster at Doe River Roasters, explains the

significance of supporting local coffeehouses through partnering

with local businesses.

 

“We like keeping it local when we can, encouraging people to try

and source things local,” Hedrick said.

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With each sip of from a cup of coffee, there is a rich background

and journey from the bean to a roast. Understanding the roasting

process requires one to acknowledge what happens behind the

scenes of the coffee industry. Hedrick at Doe River Roasters offers

an understanding of the coffee industry from field to coffeehouse

to cup from a roaster’s perspective. Coffee roasting is an industry

that many overlook when it comes to a cup of coffee, but the

question remains: what is the process from bean to cup?

 

Coffee roasting is a critical step that takes green coffee beans from

the farmer to a trusted roaster. According to the

National Coffee Association, “it takes years of training to become an expert roaster with the ability to ‘read’ the beans and make decisions with split-second timing.” Doe River Roasters have specialized in medium coffee roasts for the past 19 years, including their time at The Coffee Company. Over the years, they have perfected their roasts and have sharpened their focus of ethical sourcing.

 

Doe River Roasters gather their coffee through Royal Coffee importers, who deliver green coffee beans from all over the world to the region’s roastery, ethically. According to Royal Coffee, their goal, “is to make the finest green coffee beans accessible to roasting houses around the world.” These ethical, worldwide green coffee beans are found right here in the Tri-Cities, available at many local coffeehouses.

 

Breeana Franz, co-owner of Still Waters Coffeehouse in

Gray, Tennessee, opens up about partnering with Doe

River Roasters.

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“We decided to use them because they’re local, and what’s

so great about using local and supporting them is that you

support your whole community by doing that.”

 

Still Waters is founded upon supporting small and local to help bring value to a community. The partnership between the coffeehouse and roaster helped provide ease and trust in establishing the coffeehouse’s roots in Gray. Through the partnership, the roastery has brought coffee from all over the world to citizens in East Tennessee.

 

Doe River Roasters, also, supports their coffeehouse across the street in downtown Elizabethton, Tennessee. Kathy Kelly, barista The Coffee Company, regards Doe River Roasters as a familial partnership.

 

“I love that we have a local roastery. I am not just serving big box coffee—it means it’s fresh, it means it is really high quality, and it just has an emotional connection as well as those physical things. I love working with Jon and Will because they become friends, they are like family,” Kelly said.

 

Doe River Roasters began at The Coffee Company until they branched off into their own business. This enabled the roastery to focus on ethical sourcing and quality roasting for many coffee shops to partner with. Moreover, branching off allowed Doe River to expand their services beyond roasting coffee, they also help establish new coffeehouses in the area.

 

“One thing we do as a roastery isn’t just roast coffee because we have a deep background in the restaurant industry, and because we also sell and service equipment, we can work with people through the process of establishing a shop and supply them with all of the equipment they will need long term,” Hedrick said.

 

Still Waters Coffeehouse holds high regards for Doe River Roasters because of their support in helping foster their small business ground up.

 

“They were such a huge help when opening. They helped us set up our espresso machine, organize our counter because he’s [Jon Bunn, owner] been there, done that,” Franz said.

 

With expertise in areas of ethical sourcing, equipment services and coffeehouse evaluations, Doe River Roasters are transparent in their roasting process. When asked what the goal of Doe River Roasters is behind their significant roasts, Hedrick reveals their aim behind achieving a great flavor.

 

“We really want to develop those quintessential coffee flavors, get some of those chocolatey notes things like that as well. But we really, also, want to leave the underlying flavor of the bean intact.”

 

With Doe River Roasters focusing on their classic medium

roasts, their bestseller is the Costa Rican with a close second

of their only dark roast, the Sumatran. When roasting, Doe

River Roasters wants to maintain the flavor profile of the bean

to enhance the location of where the coffee is sourced from.

According to the NCA, “roasting brings out the aroma and

flavor that is locked inside the green coffee beans.” Doe River

Roasters enhance the flavor of the single origin coffee through

their classic medium roasting style.

 

Doe River Roasters has 15-18 different roasts, therefore,

maintaining a classic roast without burning beans helps

distinguish each roast from different countries. 

 

“We do really want to feature the distinctiveness of individual

coffees, but at the same time really develop out that

quintessential coffee profile,” Hedrick said.  

 

With integrity and distinctions within each of their roasts,

Doe River Roasters is partnered with many coffeehouses and

cafes throughout the region (Doe River Customers). Other

partnerships in the Tri-Cities region with Doe River Roasters

is The Corner Cup coffee shop in downtown Jonesborough,

Tennessee as well as East Tennessee State University in Johnson

City, Tennessee.

 

Buying local coffee impacts more than just the coffeehouse as one sips their latte, for it all begins with the importance in coffee sourcing. Doe River Roasters encourages ethical coffee sourcing through Royal Coffee importers and roasts their coffee with a classic medium roast to ensure the distinctiveness of the bean from different countries. Understanding the process from coffee farming, sourcing and locally roasting is essential in savoring each sip.

 

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