Multimedia Reporting (Kuhr-Musser): Local coffee company cultivates college crowd

Some KU students may not remember a time that Starbucks coffee was served on campus, but that is probably because ever since 2004, The Roasterie brand coffee has been served in the Kansas Union and the Underground in Wescoe instead, and starting in Fall 2006, The Roasterie will have to send more coffee to the University.

Timeline of companies

The Studio, a new dining area located on the second floor of the newly renovated Hashinger Hall, will feature various dining options and another “Pulse” coffee shop featuring The Roasterie coffee. “It will be cool to have a coffee shop so close to my room. I normally have to drive all the way to Mass Street to get a good cup of coffee,” said Ali Kreideweis, Dallas sophomore, who lives in Lewis Residence Hall. Danny O’Neill founded The Roasterie in his Kansas City basement in 1993, and the business has been growing ever since. Today, the company sells more than $5 million worth of coffee to restaurants and other businesses throughout the Midwest and beyond. According to KU dining, The Roasterie coffee was first sold in few snack bars and bookstores then expanded to Anschutz Library. Once the planning stages for the Underground began, the company was invited to help with the design, the equipment and its placement. Because of The Roasterie’s success in Wescoe, when the Starbucks contract expired at The Market in the Kansas Union, the University began to offer The Roasterie at all campus locations. In addition to clients like the University of Kansas, The Roasterie coffee is found at locations as close as Warrensburg, Mo., or as far as the campus of the University of Sothern California or in New York state, but you can also find a free-standing coffeehouse called the Roasterie Café in Kansas City. “We buy the best beans, we take care of them, we air-roast them the best way possible, we work long, hard hours, we have a blast together, we are all about freshness and quality,” said Jason Burton, “Bean Booster” and Marketing Director for the Roasterie. Burton says having the University as a client has certainly helped the overall brand image. “Any company that has a positive image or position at a major University almost always develops a stronger brand in the market place, whether through name recognition, merchandise, etc.” Kelli Haug, Salina sophomore, said, “I go to the Underground before class and then I see people walking around with The Roasterie coffee cups on campus all day. It’s pretty good, and always busy.”

(Photo courtesy of The Roasterie) The Roasterie founder, Danny O'Neill, regularly visits small farmers from around the world where The Roasterie orders their coffee beans.

The company says perfect coffee is achieved by air-roasting their coffee beans which they buy from small, specialty farmers across the world.

Air Roasting Details

Helps preserve the flavor of the coffee bean
Process begins with beans roasted on a tilted bed at a very high degree of temperature. How high and how long depends on type of roast.
As the coffee beans pop, crack and caramelize, they shed their skin, called the chaff, and the hot air blows the chaff into a separate chamber.
The hot air circulates through and around the beans, roasting them evenly and uniformly.

Besides paying prices that are generally four times more than the commercial coffee companies pay, they contribute a percent of every pound of coffee they purchase and send it back to the communities where the coffee is grown. This money is apart of a fund the company established, which has wired schools to the Internet, built a preschool, and made contributions to schools in Brazil, Costa Rica and Columbia.

(Photo courtesy of The Roasterie) Danny O'Neill stands with children who attend a school in Brazil that received funds from The Roasterie Coffee. The school was given computers and a high-speed satellite Internet service. The company has also helped coffee growers in Brazil, Costa Rica, and Colombia.

The company also donates their product, time and money to more than 150 local charities each year. They participate in just about every community event that takes place in Kansas City: the Trolley Run, Young Friends of the Art, Jingle Bell Run, Forks & Corks, and Oscar Night, plus many more.

“Our sales continue to grow because of the relationship we have built,” said Dave Wallace, “Coffee Counselor” and Sales Representative.

With a more specialty coffeehouses springing up around Lawrence and Kansas City, The Roasterie’s competition is not hard to find, though.

In Topeka, the company is challenged by PT’s Coffee Adventure, the Broadway Café in Kansas City, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters from Portland, Ore., who recently spent time with The Roasterie team in Kansas City.

Danny O’Neill, founder of The Roasterie said, "It's a big market, and there's a market for everything. We've pretty much set ourselves at the top of the market, and that's where we're staying at the top."

The company will have to watch out for more local competition from former employees. John Welsh, a former coffee roaster for The Roasterie, and Phil Thomas, a sales manager for the company from 1999 to 2002, have teamed up to distribute a new line of coffee to the Kansas City area. Despite this, O'Neill said he isn't worried about the new competition.

Next fall, the company will have a chance to introduce their brand of coffee to more than 3,000 KU students living on Daisy Hill near the renovated Hashinger Hall, in addition to students passing by The Underground and both Unions every day, a chance few local coffeehouses get to take.

Did You Know?

Americans drink more coffee than any country in the world
Last year 14 billion pounds of coffee were exported from over 50 coffee-producing countries
Oil is the only product of greater dollar value than coffee when it comes to U.S. imports

Useful links:

Coffee Review: The World's Leading Coffee Buying Guide