Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Dematteo.
Lauren, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all began when my husband Tony and I moved from Boulder, Colorado back to my hometown of Hart Michigan. Living in Colorado gave us a really great opportunity to foster the idea behind what our business is today. For many years I worked as a barista for a high volume café serving specialty coffee to many people daily. Passionate to learn what it takes to, not only just serve a beautiful cup and to build meaningful moments, this experience gave me the tools to strengthen skills within the evolving times of the coffee industry. This little cafe supported a local Coffee Roaster, a dear friend of ours, who has since sold their company, Conscious Coffees. They sourced the finest organic and fair trade specialty beans from a co-op, which was from a company born out of Michigan. Each cup served supported communities globally with deep bonds also created locally. I am beyond grateful for that experience. During that time, I studied Naturopathic and Herbal Medicine in hopes to one day use this passion in future years to come. This knowledge was used to create a healing path for my family and friends. I knew one day I would utilize my studies and hard work at some point in my life, but just never knew when. After moving back to Hart, this was our chance to try something different that we have never done in our lives before. Tony had worked as a skilled carpenter for many years of his life and was excellent in the trades, but of course as one knows, it does take a toll on the body. There was this one particular morning I remember walking through our local independent grocer and browsing the coffee shelves, not one local roaster, providing for Oceana county to be seen. It was a void and service not provided to the local area. Inspired to learn a skill, Tony began roasting green coffee on a cast-iron skillet over an open flame. He built enough confidence after much practice and research to invest in a small table top roaster. We began selling our coffees at the farmers markets locally to see if there was a need and there was! Within that year, we decided it was time to make the investment and invested in a bigger roaster. The rest has been history ever since. From our local community and beyond we are grateful to have built long lasting relationships that are incredibly meaningful. We are slowly expanding and reaching beyond Oceana County, which is really exciting. The best thing about our job is we get to bond with our partners and customers in a way that brings us back to Boulder days where the community truly does feel like family. We laugh, share stories, cry and dream up something big. But the story doesn’t end with Coffee. Our in house custom blended herbal tisanes with a mission and purpose have been a beautiful addition to our lineup. Delicious rich cocoa blends that melt your heart, something so unique and different. You won’t find it on the shelves, at least the ones that we’re not on! Our Direct Trade Tea we source from a partner also based out of Michigan, who has relationships being rebuilt from the ground up in Nepal and India. We source coffee from sustainable farms, our packaging is fully compostable.. We have the choice as a company to do what’s right and to make meaning from this experience on earth as it is far too short and we are honored to be here. As once a Wise Sage said, each day is like a wave, embrace the flow, recognize that individual lives, like waves are part of the larger continuous ocean of existence.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Remember the wave? Sometimes they become so big and powerful, but they do pass, then we see an opportunity to adapt and grow from it. Our business launched at the very top of the pandemic, so from the beginning we had huge challenges. I think that truly helps one to gracefully embrace the chaos to maintain as much resilience as possible.
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?
Art is a passion – from writing, drawing, hiking in nature to reflect and tending the garden is where I find most peace and pride.
What matters most to you?
Family is always first, but without our health and planet, we wouldn’t be here. It is the earth that is my next focus, so all choices are made with great thought.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.darkwatercoffeeroasters.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darkwatercoffeeroasters?igsh=NTVrNWwxanV2MnA4
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darkwaterroasting
