Artisan roasters open 'coffee studio'
Randy Evans, seated, and brother Rick are the owners of Evans Brothers Coffee, a new “artisan” roastery that has opened its shop in Sandpoint using the look and feel of a winery. (Photo by DAVID GUNTER)
SANDPOINT - If it weren’t for the stacked canvas bags against the wall and the scent of freshly roasted coffee - well, that and the big red roasting machine that commands one entire corner of the room - the interior of Evans Brothers Coffee might be mistaken for a winery.
Owners Randy and Rick Evans are in the process of outfitting their “coffee roasting studio” with eclectic furniture and adorning the walls with local art as they prepare for a grand opening celebration this week. Even the display cards that accompany their various roasts carry flavor descriptions that are more reminiscent of wine labels than coffee bags.
“There are over 800 flavor compounds found in coffee beans, so it’s very similar to wine in that respect,” said Randy, who fell in love with the beverage of the flavorful beans while in Italy and later opened a high-end coffee shop on Maui before becoming the roast master for a coffee company on Bainbridge Island.
The brothers were looking for a way to stay in Sandpoint when, last ski season, they developed a business plan during a ride up Schweitzer’s Chair 6. Rick, they decided, would put his experience in marketing and sales to work, while his wife, Mandy, would tap into her own experience as an events coordinator to promote the new brand. Randy, meanwhile, would act as roast master and resident coffee expert.
With a Tully’s or a Starbucks - or both - in seemingly every town, why would these entrepreneurs jump into what appears to be such a crowded and ferociously competitive arena? It’s all part of coffee history, Randy explained.
“The first wave came with big companies like Folgers and Maxwell House and they were followed by the second wave - Peet’s, Starbucks and Tully’s,” he said. “And now that people have become more knowledgeable about coffee, there’s a third wave of roasters who are taking it a step beyond.”
“The ‘artisan roasters’ like us,” Rick said.
By roasting all of the beans on-site, the brothers have the opportunity to craft every batch of coffee in a way that will maximize the flavor of different varieties.
“We’re allowing our beans to speak for themselves,” said Rick. “Our job is to roast each one in a way that captures the flavor nuances.”
For that reason, Evans Brothers Coffee plans to rotate its offerings based on the coffee harvest cycle at the plantations with which it does business.
“Coffee loses its vibrancy as it ages,” Randy said. “Beans that were harvested three or four months ago will taste completely different in 10 months.”
The roastery will offer an open-door environment for the curious and connoisseurs alike, with informal gatherings held in the studio. Neighborhood tastings are scheduled from 9 a.m.-noon on the second Saturday of each month, with a “Newcomer’s Club” meeting taking place at 8:30 a.m. on those same days so that people new to Sandpoint can find a relaxed, comfortable way to meet one another.
The studio’s neighbors, however, have to come inside to get a whiff of what the brothers are up to, because the scent of roasted beans is virtually nonexistent outside of the building. Hooked up to their Probat roaster - a machine Randy describes as “the BMW of coffee roasters” - is a large after-burner that handles emissions control.
“It was a pretty expensive piece of equipment, but we wanted to be good neighbors and put our money where our mouth is, environmentally,” Rick said.
Evan’s Brothers Coffee can be found locally at Winter Ridge Natural Foods, Yoke’s and the Tango Café in the lobby of the Panhandle State Bank building. The brothers currently are expanding their client list to include restaurants and coffee shops in the immediate area.
“Our main focus is wholesale, but we’re also working with venues that care about quality and want to do something that is a notch above,” said Rick.
The company’s grand opening is scheduled to begin Today at 5 p.m., with live music, fire dancers and complimentary coffee tastings, across from the former St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in the old granary building at 524 Church Street. The company also has events planned for the end of October to benefit the Bonner Community Food Bank and the Panhandle Animal Shelter.
For more information call (208) 304-8285 or visit: www.evansbrotherscoffee.com