2014 Coffee Innovator: Stone Creek Coffee Roasters

I thought about writing a piece on the coffees which really impressed me this year. Then I thought, who really wants another end of the year list. Instead I want to talk about the coffee company I think took coffee to another level with the public this year.

For readers of this blog, this won't come as a surprise. Stone Creek Coffee took the world by storm this year. This Milwaukee based coffee roaster is not just serving great coffee, but they created a learning environment for their customers, so they have a deeper appreciation for the beverage they love.

I first became aware of Stone Creek at this year's CoffeeCon in Chicago. I walked by their booth and was drawn in my the wonderful smell of their coffee. They not only gave me a cup of a coffee, they discussed the history of the coffee, how it was roasted, etc. They were nice enough to give me a bag of coffee to take home and try out. I did, and a Coffee Bromance was born.

Stone Creek offers a weekly tour of their roasting facility and coffee labs. I've been on roasting plant tours before, but this one was different to me. While there was a time frame, the woman who took us on the tour never rushed us, and did not end the tour until all our questions were answered. She also pulled a mean espresso.

Tours are only part of the educational process at Stone Creek. This year the roaster decided to make their coffee an educational tool. In the summer, they sold a special box set of coffee, the first of a new trend for them. The Guatemala San Sebastian Box Set was all one coffee, but processed three different ways. The set came with detailed descriptions of each process. Through this, coffee lovers can taste the difference a wet, dry, or combination process can do for a coffee.

Stone Creek also offers classes so the public can learn more about the beverage they love. For instance they offer Intro to Espresso Theory and Intro to Small Brew Methods. It's clear Stone Creek wants coffee to be a participatory venture.

The success of this company can be attributed to two main people: Owner Eric Resch and Director of Coffee Christian Otto. These two are not only roasting excellent coffee(and trust me I drank a lot of it this year), they are pushing the envelope in how we learn and appreciate coffee. They would tell you the success of the company is a group effort, and all the employees are part of that. Agreed, but without these two setting the standard and raising the bar this company would be just another roaster.

My bromance with Stone Creek Coffee was a coffee highlight for me in 2014, and I look for a long happy relationship with them. Kudos to Stone Creek for being such an innovator this year. Keep up the outstanding work.

www.stonecreekcoffee.com

Charlie