Aviary: A roastery for the 21st century

2 minute read

Since leaving Phoenix in August (after leading the company through a rebranding, a renaissance in quality, the pandemic, a retail expansion and restructuring into a worker-owned cooperative), I’ve thought a lot about what I might do differently if I were ever to start my own roastery.

Over my 13 years as a roaster, coffee buyer and consultant, I’ve worked for small, local roasters as well as some of the fastest-growing coffee brands in the U.S., helping those companies execute their vision. Their business models—while sometimes innovative—all fell under the umbrella of “traditional” coffee businesses. I always brought along my philosophy of coffee, which I’ve expressed through tens of thousands of words on my blog—how I think about it, interact with it, buy it, and roast it—but never actualized how I think we can run a different kind of coffee roastery. 

And—with producers facing increasing economic pressures, and with a changing climate and a changing consumer landscape—we *need* to operate differently.

Aviary is a roaster that exists solely to present coffees from that point of view—a hyper-focused, small-volume, e-commerce, direct-to-consumer roastery founded on principles of environmental and economic sustainability.

You can expect that every coffee will be one I could write a thousand words about—and that it’ll be roasted in the style I like to drink.

I’ll probably write a thousand words about what makes Aviary different, too—but for now, let’s just get things going. Starting a roastery takes capital—and trying to finance one that caters to a niche audience without aspirations of exponential growth through traditional channels is a no-go. 

So I need you.

I’ve started a Kickstarter campaign to help raise startup funds and to get the word out. I appreciate anything you’re willing to contribute (this blog, like always, will remain free—as in beer)—and hope you’ll follow along on Kickstarter and on Instagram (@aviary.coffee).

Head over to Kickstarter for more information and background on the project.

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