How can I help to make people's day a little happier?
That was the question that ultimately led to Fetch Coffee Roasters. It was the question I asked over and over during the long and painfully exhausting internal journey while searching for something that would have meaning. That’s also the question with which I should have started because it would have been a much faster process! Because the answer came almost immediately: Roast coffee.
In a world that has felt increasingly dire (even before Covid-19) I found myself valuing anything that would help others smile, laugh, or enjoy each other’s company. Coffee is often a part of that. It is not only delicious and usually caffeinated, it is a great connector for people. There is a long and global history of coffee as a focal point for social events, ceremonies, and traditions. For myself, I really look forward to that first wonderful sip of good coffee each morning. It’s the ultimate comfort food, and I can have it every day, guilt free.
My own experience with coffee started at the breakfast table when I was about 4 years old. I took a sip of the sludge left at the bottom of my dad’s cup. It was probably one of the worst things I had ever tasted! How could something that smelled so delicious taste so completely disgusting? By the time my family moved to Australia for a year when I was sixteen however, I was a full-fledged coffee drinker. While I was there, cappuccinos in cafes defined endless happy memories. It was all wonderful.
In college, I took a night class in ‘Coffee Appreciation’ led by a local roaster in Madison, Wisconsin. I was probably the youngest person in the class by at least 20 years but I loved learning about the history of coffee which was much more extensive that I had ever imagined. My memories of Grad school are often marked by many nights of great conversation and laughter in coffee shops. Coffee was, and remains, an integral part of everyday life and a consistent source of happiness.
My world pivoted a few years ago when I had the opportunity to tour a major coffee manufacturing plant as part of my job. I was enamored. Apparently I didn’t stop talking about it because after a couple of years of home roasting, my husband started sending me information on coffee roasting classes through the Specialty Coffee Association. At the time, I was irritated. I was trying to figure out what to do with my career, I didn’t have time to learn something fun (something we laugh about now). So when I finally asked myself that key question - what can I do to help people smile - the answer was suddenly very clear.
Coffee wasn’t the only thing that came to mind. My other dream has always been to work with domestic dogs. In college I studied domestic animal behavior, and I was fortunate enough to work as a post-college intern with Patricia McConnell, one of the few excellent Applied Animal Behaviorists in the world at that time. I donated to animal charities, and my dream trip (still on my list) is to volunteer at Soi Dog Foundation in Thailand - an organization that, among many other amazing things, takes in street dogs who have been hit by cars, tortured, or are otherwise vulnerable.
So with those two passions, coffee and an interest in stewardship for animals in need, Fetch Coffee Roasters was formed. We roast delicious coffee with the goal to help make people’s day a bit brighter, and they can feel even better knowing $1 from each bag they purchase goes to help dogs in need.