Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Ebel.
Hi Jacob, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
After 23 years in the restaurant and hospitality industry, I was burnt out, ready for a change, and wanted a new passion to hone in on.
So, I sold my shares of my restaurant/bed&breakfast in southern Indiana to my business partner, and decided to get back to my roots in northern Michigan.
Incidentally, at that same time, a friend who’d owned a local small-batch coffee company was moving and selling all of his equipment. I’ve always loved coffee, so decided to buy it, and thought it’d be a fun hobby if nothing else.
That was the fall of 2021, and I spent that first winter up north experimenting with roasting in my garage. After figuring out what I thought to be a few good blends of beans, and getting confirmation from friends and family, signed up for the local farmers market.
It became quickly clear that there was a market for freshly roasted coffee, so over the next year expanded to a few more farmers markets while building a small roasting facility to obtain my license to sell wholesale.
Once receiving that in spring of 2023, I was able to grow the business to where it is now. The coffee is available in 22 different shops, restaurants, and grocery stores throughout northern Michigan between Traverse City, Charlevoix, Kalkaska, Alba, and Grayling.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a small growing company, I’ve been sourcing green beans through various cooperatives on as needed basis. The biggest challenge with that is maintaining the same quality and consistency in flavor profiles, cost, and availability. That’s also had an effect on my ability to be competitive with pricing with larger roasters. In an effort to overcome that, this last year I’ve worked to develop some direct farmer relationships to secure portions of their lots upon harvest.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a small batch coffee roaster, with a keen focus on high quality, not quantity production. I specialize in European style blends, which are darker and more robust in flavor, but also offer some lighter, single origin roasts. What sets my coffee apart from most others is that it’s air-roasted, opposed to drum roasted.
Air-roasting, also referred to as fluid bed roasting, is a method that floats the beans on a bed of hot air and removes the chafe. This means they never have an opportunity to burn, unlike if they were roasted over direct heat in a metal drum. Due to the removal of the chafe, the beans have a much smoother, far less bitter or acidic flavor. It’s also considered healthier because of having more antioxidants and fewer harmful compounds that are caused by direct heat.
Something I’m also proud of is staying committed to sourcing only organic Arabica beans, even when cost fluctuates, in order to always produce the best quality coffee possible.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
In addition to being able to purchase locally, coffee can be ordered online at kalkaskacoffee.com.
Pricing:
- $16 for 12oz bags
- $85 for 5lb bags
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kalkaskacoffee.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095376797152
