It has been a very busy season for Junior's Roasted Coffee, and we're long overdue for an update. So, here's some things you might have missed.
Junior's Roasted Coffee & Guilder Ownership Change
By now, we hope this is not new to you, but back in April, Guilder and Junior's Roasted Coffee changed hands. Mike & Caryn Nelson, along with partners Toby Roberts and Carrie Lind made the decision that it was time for them to pass the Guilder/JRC torch. For Mike and Caryn, who were most involved in the day to day operations, both were seeking the next chapter in life. Mike wanted to get back to coffee education and Caryn was excited to return to non-profit work.
Enter new owners, Ryan Willbur & Laila Ghambari. Ryan and Laila have both known Mike and Caryn since long before Junior's came to be. We are old industry friends and colleagues. For the past several years, Ryan & Laila have been living in the greater Portland area working in different areas of the coffee space. Ryan was working in coffee equipment, leading sales & marketing for Synesso Espresso Machines. Laila spent time running cafe operations for Stumptown Coffee and Coffee Business before deciding to branch out on her own and start a coffee consulting business.
Both had felt like the time of starting their own coffee company had likely passed. But the idea of buying an existing business was not something they had considered. When the opportunity to take on Guilder and Junior's came about, it was an absolute dream come true. It's not everyday that one can have the opportunity to carry the banner of Cost of Production Covered coffees, work with a notoriously great team, and get to continue to build a business on a very solid reputation. Ryan and Laila could not be more excited and honored to continue to build the legacy that is Guilder & JRC.
A Crazy Season For Coffees
If you visit our web store often, you might have noticed that the menu has been fairly simple, yet rotating with new coffees often. This year has been kind of wild for sourcing coffee, and that's before you consider a change in business ownership.
We've had two major delays in coffee shipments from Africa. Both the results of Hoothi pirates in the Red Sea. In one case, we had a coffee rerouted the very long way to the US to go around the troubled areas. In the coming weeks, we will finally see an arrival from Ethiopia- one that we were concerned may never actually get here. Ports were closing for safety measures, but causing major logistic questions.
We're also on the precipice of receiving our largest shipment of coffees in the year, fresh from Guatemala. Though pirates were not a concern, major weather events made transporting coffees in country quite difficult. These coffees were also rerouted different times to navigate around bad weather.
Though it's been a challenging season, we're about to be flush with fresh arrivals- best part being many of these coffees come to us as part of the Cost of Production Program. So, as the weather cools down, get ready to drink lots of delicious fresh arrivals.
Guilder Gets Out There
In early August, we had the pleasure of serving coffee at Pickathon! Pickathon is one of the best rated, largest independent music festivals, and it is a vibe.
For 3 full days, Guilder setup a cafe serving drinks near "The Woods" stage of Pickathon. Our structure was assembled from trees and branches found in the forest of Pendarvis Farms. We were fortunate to be under the tree cover, especially during days that hit close to 100 degrees.
Though a fairly busy festival, the crowds at Pickathon are absolutely great. Everyone was relaxed, patient, and understanding that building a coffee bar in the woods was no easy task. We felt so fortunate to be a part of the Pickathon community and we look forward to doing it again in the future!
