Who & Why
SUPPORTING SPECIALTY COFFEE IN OUR COMMUNITY
At face value we roast coffee, pretty simple. Step inside our warehouse in Ames, IA though and you’ll find sample roasting, cupping, production roasting, brewing, green storage, espresso tech, training, consulting, packaging, design, eating lunch, listening to podcasts, watching tiny desk concerts…you get the idea. We are built on learning about our industry, listening to the people around us, and seeking out new ways to serve our community. Whether it is drinking exciting new coffees, spending time with our people, or working hard to serve our partners, we want to put specialty coffee in the hands of our community.
LEARNING
There are always new things for us to learn about in our work. Learning about the coffees we enjoy. Learning about the farmers we buy from. Learning about the importers who get the coffee to us. Learning about our wholesale partners needs and ambitions. Learning what’s happening in the commodity markets. Learning what’s popular in cafes and online. Learning what trends are worth leaning into, and what’s just passing by. Learning what’s happening during each stage of our roasts. Learning how to better troubleshoot, and repair broken equipment. We don’t want to stop growing, so we keep asking questions, and we hope you do too!
RELATIONSHIPS
We’d be doing a disservice to many if we didn’t acknowledge we are one link in a long chain that gets coffee from the tree it grows on to the cup it’s sipped from. We start by communicating with importers and farmers to find people who will provide us with quality coffees year after year. Then we work with our wholesale partners providing barista training, buildout consultations, brewing equipment, cafe supplies, and even our opinions at times to help them achieve their goals and serve quality coffee in their communities. We strive to partner ourselves with farmers, importers, retailers, and cafes who care as much about their people and their product as we do ours. At the end of the day our success is found in trusting those relationships to put an honest, ethical, and quality product in your hands.
ANDREW BURGASON - ROASTING/DESIGN/REPAIR
Generally curious about all things, Andrew is passionate about connecting people with coffee. Andrew does it all. Roasting, machine repair, product acquisition, logistics, you name it - he does it.
An Iowa State alum and Ames resident, outside of Windmill you can probably find him at the new Burgie’s location in the Somerset neighborhood of Ames. Andrew has done just about every job in the world of coffee service. If you need answers, he’s the source.
ROBB PEARSON - SOURCING/ROASTING/QUALITY
Robb is our defacto old coffee guy - sourcing our green coffee, roasting, and maintaining our standards. He also helps with our partners by providing training, maintenance, and consultation. Leaning on over 20 years of industry experience, he has worn many hats and is always happy to help. You’ll find him answering emails and running our social media too.
Robb lives in Des Moines with his wife and two kids. After years in California, Iowa is beginning to feel like home again. He’s a Hawkeye….
JENNA FAGEN - ROASTINGS/SYRUPS/PACKAGING
Roasting, bagging, making syrups. Jenna is just a dynamo around the warehouse. You wish you had her work ethic.
Catch this central Iowa native going to concerts, auto races, camping, or at the gym. Jenna joined our crew via her time behind bar at Burgie’s. She has pretty much killed it from day 1.
We are excited to learn with her. Explore coffee roasting and tasting again. And battle her for control of the warehouse stereo.
RYAN CARSON - LOGISTICS/CUSTOMER SERVICE
Ryan is the face you see when your coffee shows up. He makes sure everything gets bagged, labeled, and shipped out to the right people, at the right time, and the right place. Without him it’d be a lot harder for us to keep y’all happy and caffeinated. So make sure you’re nice to him the next time you see him.
Ryan joined us after working at Burgie’s for a couple years. He grew up south of Ames, and just graduated from Iowa State with a major in Economics and minor in Math. If you need the economy explained along with your coffee delivery talk to him.
ATLAS STEFFES-CLAYTON - SERVICE TECHNICIAN
New to our team, but not new to working on equipment all across Iowa. We are so excited to count him amongst our crew.
Atlas is helping us stock up with more parts on hand, organize inventory, and step up our water quality game. We hope to serve you better through his experience and expertise.
A rock climber, marathoner, and Des Moines native - Atlas brings a lot to the table. If you’ve not met him yet, we bet you will soon.