As you can see from the post title, this is going to be a quick, short post. I got things to do and places to be (Star Wars is releasing tonight). If you haven't already, become a #deliciousperson and subscribe at follycoffee.com. Besides that, let's get on with it.
Where have we been?
The official launch date of January 2nd, 2018 was made, and based on all I can tell, that is actually going to stay true!
Where are we now
Coffees- Brand new TODAY! Folly Coffee Subscriptions! Check out the online store for all the details. It's an amazing gift because every month when it shows up that person is reminded how awesome you are. Or if you buy it for yourself, you remind yourself how awesome you are. WIN WIN!
Roastery- A master electrician came out and inspected/certified Roaster Ken's amazing electric work on the roastery. After Ken carved out some concrete with a jackhammer he borrowed, the plumbers came in yesterday morning to make quick work of installing the necessary (and state compliant) pipes needed to have a hand washing sink, 3 basin dish sink, and utility/mop sink. We have the wonderful (actually though, he's the best) Mike Smith from the MN Dpt of Agri coming back out on Dec 22nd for the final inspection and to (fingers crossed) sign over our Wholesale Food Manufacturer's License! It doesn't even seem real to type it. What began from meeting Ken as a stranger at a farmer's market in June has turned into the full construction of a commercial roastery roasting coffees better than I could have imagined.
Where are we going?
There are officially three co-ops on board for Folly deliveries the first week of January (secret secret, mysterious oooo). Keep an eye out for tastings and other coffee events with these future partners of ours. The brand new packaging is due to arrive next week, and we are off to the races! I am beyond excited to share the coffees we are roasting with all of you. As always, feel free to give us a shout. I now have a super professional looking email where the end isn't gmail (rob@follycoffee.com) because I'm a serious business guy now that wears the blue shirts with the white collars.
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
The End is Near (In a Good way)
I sit here and realize there is finally an end in sight to the full launch of Folly Coffee Roasters, meaning Folly Coffee can be sold at third party retailers (co-ops, grocery stores, cafes, anywhere that sells coffee beans). Before I get into that **Shameless self-promotion time, please read in announcer voice from The Price is Right.** Right now, check out www.follycoffee.com for new winter merch! All merchandise is 10% off through the end of Friday, free shipping as always, and a FREE knit headband with all purchases** But for real, we have some awesome stuff and the money we make off this merch will be used to make this launch big, think samplings, events, classes etc. Anyway, onto the blog!
Where have we been?
Apologies as it has been three weeks since the last blog. Within the past three weeks, some major events have happened. We finished all the construction we are allowed to do on our own including finishing touches on the wall, installation of an interior garage door to move the giant bags of unroasted coffee beans, caulking and sealing of cracks and edges, purchasing of food safe tables, storage racks, etc, and overall cleaning of the roastery. Then came a setback. We are not allowed to do plumbing work on our own as we are not certified to do so. The good news was the plumber said it's a two day job. The bad news was it is a three week turnaround to receive approval from the state that allows them to start that two day job. But wait...the state inspector is coming in a week. Luckily, the inspector was very understanding (shoutout Mike Smith!) and said he can still come inspect the facilities and procedures for everything besides the plumbing/sinks. After 2 hours of safety protocol/processes review and facility inspection we got great news. Everything (besides the sinks) was compliant and as soon as the sinks are installed we are good to go!
Where are we now?
It is currently hurry up and wait time. The plumbing plans were submitted November 22nd, and with a three week turnaround we expect to have the approval and sinks installed by the third week of December. In the meantime, we have shut down sales of our beans until we are ready for the full launch. There are some awesome plans in place for the beans we are launching so keep your eyes peeled!
Where are we going?
Get ready for the full launch of Folly Coffee Roasters January 2nd, 2018!! It seemed appropriate to time it up with the new year. New year, new coffee roaster, new coffees, new new new. I am thrilled by the prospect of getting through this logistical process of starting a small food and beverage business and getting back to what excites us most, lightly roasting some amazing coffees sourced from around the world. It's pretty cool drinking an amazing cup of our Ethiopian and picture the process it went through from being hand picked, dried in the sun, packaged in giant burlap sacks, shipped to Minnesota, then picked up in my Rav4 to be lightly roasted on the roaster in Silver Lake. Pretty cool stuff if you ask me. I couldn't be more excited for what is in store and am even more excited for everyone out there to taste the deliciousness of the hot beans we are slingin! Woo!
Where have we been?
Apologies as it has been three weeks since the last blog. Within the past three weeks, some major events have happened. We finished all the construction we are allowed to do on our own including finishing touches on the wall, installation of an interior garage door to move the giant bags of unroasted coffee beans, caulking and sealing of cracks and edges, purchasing of food safe tables, storage racks, etc, and overall cleaning of the roastery. Then came a setback. We are not allowed to do plumbing work on our own as we are not certified to do so. The good news was the plumber said it's a two day job. The bad news was it is a three week turnaround to receive approval from the state that allows them to start that two day job. But wait...the state inspector is coming in a week. Luckily, the inspector was very understanding (shoutout Mike Smith!) and said he can still come inspect the facilities and procedures for everything besides the plumbing/sinks. After 2 hours of safety protocol/processes review and facility inspection we got great news. Everything (besides the sinks) was compliant and as soon as the sinks are installed we are good to go!
Where are we now?
It is currently hurry up and wait time. The plumbing plans were submitted November 22nd, and with a three week turnaround we expect to have the approval and sinks installed by the third week of December. In the meantime, we have shut down sales of our beans until we are ready for the full launch. There are some awesome plans in place for the beans we are launching so keep your eyes peeled!
Where are we going?
Get ready for the full launch of Folly Coffee Roasters January 2nd, 2018!! It seemed appropriate to time it up with the new year. New year, new coffee roaster, new coffees, new new new. I am thrilled by the prospect of getting through this logistical process of starting a small food and beverage business and getting back to what excites us most, lightly roasting some amazing coffees sourced from around the world. It's pretty cool drinking an amazing cup of our Ethiopian and picture the process it went through from being hand picked, dried in the sun, packaged in giant burlap sacks, shipped to Minnesota, then picked up in my Rav4 to be lightly roasted on the roaster in Silver Lake. Pretty cool stuff if you ask me. I couldn't be more excited for what is in store and am even more excited for everyone out there to taste the deliciousness of the hot beans we are slingin! Woo!
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Setback City
Setback city. Population: Folly Coffee Roasters
A bit strung out , definitely tired, slightly stressed, but getting excited. Starting a business is super easy and convenient, if today was opposite day. Oh SNAP! Wait...what is that...is that...a faint glimmer of the light at the end of the tunnel? Maybe. Not sure. Sooooo now to bring you the weekly (notsomuch) Flog!
Where have we been?
The final touches are being done to the Silver Lake roasting facility. Ken and I have been working on finalizing the electric, plumbing, HVAC, and getting everything in line with the fire code so we can get all those fun licenses so that we can, you know, sell coffee to stores and stuff. (**SHAMELESS PROMOTION** THE COFFEE IS AVAILABLE ONLINE WWW.FOLLYCOFFEE.COM ROASTED AND SHIPPED FRESH!!!). Orders trickle in online, but the most exciting part is people are really digging the coffee which warms my heart. So, why is the title Setback City? See below
Where are we now?
As we are looking to install the plumbing for our necessary sinks to be a wholesale food manufacturer, which shouldn't be more than a 2 or 3 day project, we have been informed of a time intensive process to be approved. We have to have our plans sketched up, submitted to the city, and receive their approval BEFORE installing the system. Average time for approval? 3-4 weeks. Fun.
Where are we going?
We need to put all the finishing touches on the areas listed above, and get the electric inspected/licensed, plumbing approved and installed, fire code inspected, and then finally, the light at the end of the tunnel, the pending approval from the MN Dpt of Agriculture that makes us ready to go to co-ops, grocery stores, cafes, and anywhere that sells coffee. Doesn't even seem slightly real at this point. In the meantime, we will continue to lightly roast fun coffee and loving the feedback from the delicious people!!
A bit strung out , definitely tired, slightly stressed, but getting excited. Starting a business is super easy and convenient, if today was opposite day. Oh SNAP! Wait...what is that...is that...a faint glimmer of the light at the end of the tunnel? Maybe. Not sure. Sooooo now to bring you the weekly (notsomuch) Flog!
Where have we been?
The final touches are being done to the Silver Lake roasting facility. Ken and I have been working on finalizing the electric, plumbing, HVAC, and getting everything in line with the fire code so we can get all those fun licenses so that we can, you know, sell coffee to stores and stuff. (**SHAMELESS PROMOTION** THE COFFEE IS AVAILABLE ONLINE WWW.FOLLYCOFFEE.COM ROASTED AND SHIPPED FRESH!!!). Orders trickle in online, but the most exciting part is people are really digging the coffee which warms my heart. So, why is the title Setback City? See below
Where are we now?
As we are looking to install the plumbing for our necessary sinks to be a wholesale food manufacturer, which shouldn't be more than a 2 or 3 day project, we have been informed of a time intensive process to be approved. We have to have our plans sketched up, submitted to the city, and receive their approval BEFORE installing the system. Average time for approval? 3-4 weeks. Fun.
Where are we going?
We need to put all the finishing touches on the areas listed above, and get the electric inspected/licensed, plumbing approved and installed, fire code inspected, and then finally, the light at the end of the tunnel, the pending approval from the MN Dpt of Agriculture that makes us ready to go to co-ops, grocery stores, cafes, and anywhere that sells coffee. Doesn't even seem slightly real at this point. In the meantime, we will continue to lightly roast fun coffee and loving the feedback from the delicious people!!
Monday, October 16, 2017
First Coffee Tent
What a crazy weekend! When I was in my younger years, I was a much larger football-playing type person, and for fun I competed in a couple strongman competitions because they looked fun on TV. Fast forward (and rewind) to a little over a few months ago, I had just formed the LLC for Folly Coffee, I had just met roaster Ken, and I was eager to get our first event on the calendar to have something tangible to work towards. An old friend of mine, Super Steve, convinced me to do another strongman competition, this time at my now lighter weight class, and I found one in Stoughton, WI, "Feats of Strength". I noticed from last year's competition they had sponsors, and I reached out to the organizer and nicest guy ever, Jimmy Brooks, and he said it would be awesome to have a coffee sponsor and tent for the event. So, there's the backstory on how Folly Coffee's first ever coffee tent event ended up at a strongman competition in the middle of Wisconsin.
Where have we been?
I, along with best buddies Big Jake and Paul F, got back near midnight Saturday night after slinging hot coffee all day at the strongman competition. I also competed in said competition, and it may or may not have been in full costume (stay tuned to Instagram for the pictures), lifting heavy things dressed as, but not limited to, Paul Bunyan and a panda. It was exciting to see so many people try specialty coffee for the very first time and love it! We had our natural process Ethiopian Yirgacheffe that has the wonderful blueberry chocolate notes (AVAILABLE FOLLYCOFFEE.COM *SHAMELESS PROMOTION) available both cold brewed and french pressed, but seeing as how it was 45 degrees and raining, the hot coffee was the *ahem* hot ticket item.
Where are we now?
As for the roasting facility, we finished construction on the necessary wall last Monday, and all that is left is to install a hand washing sink (purchased) and utility sink (about to be purchased). After those are installed, we will schedule an inspection from the Department of Agriculture and we should be cleared for retail!
Where are we going?
We're getting antsy to begin selling at retail, and have some local places on board for Folly Coffee. It is admittedly stressful not knowing an exact date, but we are moving with urgency to get things done. In the meantime, stay tuned to the website as I am working on what should be a sweet holiday brewing package, as well as a new hat due to requests outside of what we currently have. As always, feel free to reach out with ideas or just to see what's up!
Where have we been?
I, along with best buddies Big Jake and Paul F, got back near midnight Saturday night after slinging hot coffee all day at the strongman competition. I also competed in said competition, and it may or may not have been in full costume (stay tuned to Instagram for the pictures), lifting heavy things dressed as, but not limited to, Paul Bunyan and a panda. It was exciting to see so many people try specialty coffee for the very first time and love it! We had our natural process Ethiopian Yirgacheffe that has the wonderful blueberry chocolate notes (AVAILABLE FOLLYCOFFEE.COM *SHAMELESS PROMOTION) available both cold brewed and french pressed, but seeing as how it was 45 degrees and raining, the hot coffee was the *ahem* hot ticket item.
Where are we now?
As for the roasting facility, we finished construction on the necessary wall last Monday, and all that is left is to install a hand washing sink (purchased) and utility sink (about to be purchased). After those are installed, we will schedule an inspection from the Department of Agriculture and we should be cleared for retail!
Where are we going?
We're getting antsy to begin selling at retail, and have some local places on board for Folly Coffee. It is admittedly stressful not knowing an exact date, but we are moving with urgency to get things done. In the meantime, stay tuned to the website as I am working on what should be a sweet holiday brewing package, as well as a new hat due to requests outside of what we currently have. As always, feel free to reach out with ideas or just to see what's up!
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Blog Post 10/5
“Overextended”
Where have we been
I always hate to admit it, but sometimes I take on too much at once. My eyes get too big for my stomach and I put way too much on my plate that is my calendar. In this case, much of it was not coffee related *GASSSP. Within the last week I was the co-best man in a wedding of one of my best friends (yes co-best man is a thing), continued building of the roaster wall needed for our wholesale license, drove to St. Louis to help a special someone move, and worked my other job as a barista. Hence, the blog post is late, I’m overcaffeinated, and hallucinating slightly. One of the major things that keeps me going besides the constant pursuit of roasting the best coffee is the excitement of those who bought coffee during the pre-sale. So far the feedback has been great and my heart is warmed.
Where we are now
If you follow us on the socials, you know that our roaster wall is no longer see through! During a pretty amazing thunderstorm, we put in a solid 9 hours in the build on Monday. Running on Folly Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (brewed with Aeropress) and Ken’s wife’s amazing cooking, we finished the interior wood frame and cut/hung the metal siding to one side of the wall. The space is starting to look like a real life roaster! Our online store will remain in full operation during the build, with the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe still available for purchase as well as our full lineup of merch (www.follycoffee.com to peep da goods).
Where we are going
We hope to add the finishing touches to the wall with insulation and the other metal siding, as well as caulk and seal the wall. After that, Ken is going to install a bathroom, we get an inspection from the state, and (in theory) we are good to go! Once this happens, we can go to retailers to carry our light roasted amazingness and get the coffee to the incredibly kind, friendly, and slightly passive aggressive in an endearing kind of way Minnesotans!!! Timing is TBD based on the inspection. Stay tuned to the socials @follycoffee to keep up with the news.
-Rob
-Rob
First Ever Flog Post!
Flog Post 9/22/17
Welcome to the first ever Folly Coffee Roasters blog post. I’m new to the blogging thing, so I’ve decided to make a format to these weekly posts that should help to keep the scatter brained patterns of thought in line. Every week I’ll answer three questions. Where have we been? Where are we now? And where are we going? It’s a quick check-in each week to keep you in the know and to show you what we have going on. I will likely have a smattering of random posts as well as topics arrive. Since I have no idea what I’m doing with blogging, it really is the feedback of you, the #deliciouspeople to let me know what you want to hear about. So, onto the blog!
Where have we been?
Super hyper fast summary of the inception and creation of Folly Coffee (expanded version coming soon to the website). This guy (me, Rob) falls in love with specialty coffee, leaves job of four years selling craft beer to start coffee roaster, moves back home to Minnesota and into parents’ basement, meets talented coffee roaster at farmer’s market (Ken!), partners with said roaster, and Folly Coffee Roasters is born! Roasting our coffee on a rebuilt Diedrich IR-12 roaster from the 80s, we want to bridge the gap between the specialty coffee world and the drinker of the everyday cup of jo with delicious, single origin light roasted coffee.
Where are we now? It is the Friday after the closing of the presale Friends, Family, and Followers launch, and I am overwhelmed with the support we received with the launch. The excitement is palpable and it energizes me to keep working hard to keep Folly moving forward! The naturally processed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Adado Shara is tasting amazing and I can’t wait for everyone to try it. Currently, we have our cottage license allowing us to sell directly to you, the #deliciouspeople, but in order to sell to retail (co-ops, grocery stores, cafes, restaurants etc.) we need our wholesale food manucfacturer license. In order to get this license, we need to build a wall in our roasting facility that separates the roasting area from our loading dock, as well as install a utility sink.
Where are we going? Luckily, Ken knows how to build everything and I am good at picking stuff up and hammering stuff so, as anyone who follows us @follycoffee on FB, Insta, or Twitter knows, we are doing it ourself. We are hoping to have the wall built and sink installed with the next weekish or so, then reaching out to the MN Department of Agriculture to get inspected and licensed! From there, we will hit the ground running and get #funcoffee to the #deliciouspeople of Minnesota and beyond!! I am currently writing this on a plane to Philly for a wedding of a college friend where I will be checking out a couple Philly specialty coffee staples, ReAnimator Coffee and Elixr Coffee and getting their feedback on our beans.
Welcome to the first ever Folly Coffee Roasters blog post. I’m new to the blogging thing, so I’ve decided to make a format to these weekly posts that should help to keep the scatter brained patterns of thought in line. Every week I’ll answer three questions. Where have we been? Where are we now? And where are we going? It’s a quick check-in each week to keep you in the know and to show you what we have going on. I will likely have a smattering of random posts as well as topics arrive. Since I have no idea what I’m doing with blogging, it really is the feedback of you, the #deliciouspeople to let me know what you want to hear about. So, onto the blog!
Where have we been?
Super hyper fast summary of the inception and creation of Folly Coffee (expanded version coming soon to the website). This guy (me, Rob) falls in love with specialty coffee, leaves job of four years selling craft beer to start coffee roaster, moves back home to Minnesota and into parents’ basement, meets talented coffee roaster at farmer’s market (Ken!), partners with said roaster, and Folly Coffee Roasters is born! Roasting our coffee on a rebuilt Diedrich IR-12 roaster from the 80s, we want to bridge the gap between the specialty coffee world and the drinker of the everyday cup of jo with delicious, single origin light roasted coffee.
Where are we now? It is the Friday after the closing of the presale Friends, Family, and Followers launch, and I am overwhelmed with the support we received with the launch. The excitement is palpable and it energizes me to keep working hard to keep Folly moving forward! The naturally processed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Adado Shara is tasting amazing and I can’t wait for everyone to try it. Currently, we have our cottage license allowing us to sell directly to you, the #deliciouspeople, but in order to sell to retail (co-ops, grocery stores, cafes, restaurants etc.) we need our wholesale food manucfacturer license. In order to get this license, we need to build a wall in our roasting facility that separates the roasting area from our loading dock, as well as install a utility sink.
Where are we going? Luckily, Ken knows how to build everything and I am good at picking stuff up and hammering stuff so, as anyone who follows us @follycoffee on FB, Insta, or Twitter knows, we are doing it ourself. We are hoping to have the wall built and sink installed with the next weekish or so, then reaching out to the MN Department of Agriculture to get inspected and licensed! From there, we will hit the ground running and get #funcoffee to the #deliciouspeople of Minnesota and beyond!! I am currently writing this on a plane to Philly for a wedding of a college friend where I will be checking out a couple Philly specialty coffee staples, ReAnimator Coffee and Elixr Coffee and getting their feedback on our beans.
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