ABOUT

My entrance into the coffee industry began in late 1989 when I first moved to Seattle from the small town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon. I was 18, beginning my freshman year of college, and became quickly enamored with both the city and the extensive coffee culture here. Eventually, I found myself a part-time job at the espresso cart in front of Tower Records (then located at 5th and Mercer). Is it trite to say, that almost instantly, a “passion was born?” All I know is that within weeks I was cutting out every coffee-related article I could find, picking up extra shifts whenever possible, and practicing-to-make-perfect the arts of the barista.

Flash forward 25 plus years and I still find myself pleasantly immersed in all things coffee. A brief recap of the highlights would have to include a year at Seattle’s Best (’91 – ’92), where I made many life-long friends – who would eventually be of utmost importance in my getting into roasting; 4 years in Hawaii managing cafes and pursuing other coffee-related avenues; 8 great years managing Bauhaus Books and Coffee (working for and with the same great friends from SBC days); and when the owners of Bauhaus (Joel Radin and Mike Klebeck) opened their second Top Pot Doughnuts location with Mike’s brother Mark and began roasting their own coffee, I spent 5 years there as head roaster. Altogether, I worked at a total of 9 different coffeehouses during this span, never doubting that coffee would always play a huge role in my life.

Getting into roasting was easily the biggest stepping stone of my career in coffee to date. It re-sparked my passion for coffee; yet again I found myself cutting out articles, as well as now cupping extensively, attending a Roaster’s Guild retreat to network with other roasters from around the U.S. and world, and practicing with various roasting techniques and degrees of roast to bring out the best in a bean. I knew that I’d finally found something that I would never tire of, never stop learning from, and continue to share with coffee-lovers everywhere: roasting exceptional quality coffee.

And thus the birth of Velton’s Coffee! I’m excited to have joined the ranks of great specialty coffee providers to our wonderful northwest coffee culture – and beyond. The company is primarily a wholesale outfit at present, however, all of the beans and blends are made available for purchase to consumers everywhere via this website.

For those who like to know:

All of the coffee is roasted in small batches on a top of the line Diedrich IR-12 (12 kilo, or approx. 25 lb. maximum load size), outfitted with the environmentally friendliest in afterburners (a catalytic oxidizer), and then promptly packed and sealed in the highest quality lined bags with one-way degassing valve to ensure maximum freshness.