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© 2008 True Blue Coffee Roasters, Old Fields, WV 26845 Organic Fair Trade gourmet coffee- available online, retail and wholesale |
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COMPANY HISTORY
The Beginning of the Dream
True Blue Coffee Roasters first opened for business in July 2006. In late winter of 2005, co-
founders Betsy O’Neal and Rob Luzader started with a dream of roasting small amounts of
coffee, and selling it as a small business. Discussions soon led to Rick Smith and Linda Keller
coming on board, and True Blue Coffee Roasters was born. After a trip to CoffeeFest in
Washington DC, the group began in earnest to lay the foundation for a coffee roaster that
would specialize in Organic Fair Trade coffees.
By early spring 2006, Rick had remodeled a two car garage to be used as a roast house. In
May of that year, Rick, Betsy, and Rob attended a roasters training course taught by Terry
Davis at the Ambex headquarters in Clearwater, Florida. There, they were taught the basic
mechanics of roasting coffee, and given a chance to hone their skills before returning home
to West Virginia to pursue their dream of a coffee roasting business that would roast and sell
only Organic Fair Trade coffees.
July 7, 2006 saw the doors open to the public for the first time. It was official, True Blue
Coffee Roasters was in business. Rob Luzader, trained by Mr. Davis in Florida, assumed the
position of Roastmaster and began roasting batch after batch of coffee. “That was both the
best of times and the worst of times,” he quipped. “I was learning so much about each
individual coffee and what it could produce. It took a lot of roasting before I was able to find
the sweetest point of the roast for each coffee.
Marketing and Selling
With a full line up of products, True Blue Coffee Roasters was ready to introduce their superb
Organic Fair Trade coffees to the market. Only one problem stood in their way. None of them
had any marketing experience. “We realized it was going to be harder than we thought to sell
the coffee,” Rick explained. “I knew the business end of it, Rob had the roasting end taken
care of, Betsy worked on the artwork and labels, and Linda took care of the accounting. We
had failed to realize a marketing plan.”
In the spring of 2007, True Blue Coffee Roasters had the good fortune to make the
aquaintance of Mark Murphy. In July of that year, he assumed the role of Chief Marketing
Director and began the task of assembling a sales force. “ I realized the task at hand was a
daunting one, but the opportunity to become involved at the ground level and play a pivotal
role in helping shape the future of True Blue Coffee Roasters was truly inviting. I have
thoroughly enjoyed the journey so far,” he recently said. Working long hours and placing a
focus on the company, it didn’t take Mark long to assemble a team of sales representatives.
On Growing Pains and Expansion
With a team of reps on the ground, it didn’t take long for the orders to start coming in.
Before long, True Blue Coffee Roasters had outgrown the space they had and needed to find
a much larger space. As with many new businesses, money was always a concern. “We knew
we had to move to a larger space and upgrade our equipment to fill these larger orders. The
problem was finances. Larger areas cost money.” Rick Smith explained. “Thankfully, Linda’s
husband, Bill Keller, decided to invest in the company, and as such, became the fifth and final
co-owner.”
With the finances from Mr. Keller, True Blue Coffee Roasters was able to retain a larger and
more accessible building. “Next came the fun part of outfitting the building with newer, more
efficient equipment and tables,” Roastmaster Rob explained. “Having never setup anything
like this before, it was hit and miss in laying it out, but we ended up having much more room
to work, as well as have equipment that could speed production. While these growing pains
were a headache at times, it is a journey that all of us look back at fondly.”
The Future and Being a Different Kind of Company
With everything in place, True Blue Coffee Roasters has hit the ground running. Sales
continue to increase as more and more of the public gets a chance to try their delicious
coffees. “We want to make True Blue Coffee Roasters a different type of business,"
Roastmaster Rob explains about their future plans. “We pride ourselves on customer service.
Anyone can call us and talk to the Roastmaster if they have a question.
We encourage people to stop by the roasting plant and have a cup of coffee with us. We
realize the most important aspect of the business is the customers. We welcome suggestions
and comments. This isn’t a journey that we are taking alone, it is one we are taking with our
customers, and we welcome them with open arms.”
Future plans also include a True Blue Foundation that will work with other businesses to
provide materials and monies for farmers of Organic Fair Trade coffees. Plans are currently
underway to unveil the foundation in the fall of 2009.
The Beginning of the Dream
True Blue Coffee Roasters first opened for business in July 2006. In late winter of 2005, co-
founders Betsy O’Neal and Rob Luzader started with a dream of roasting small amounts of
coffee, and selling it as a small business. Discussions soon led to Rick Smith and Linda Keller
coming on board, and True Blue Coffee Roasters was born. After a trip to CoffeeFest in
Washington DC, the group began in earnest to lay the foundation for a coffee roaster that
would specialize in Organic Fair Trade coffees.
By early spring 2006, Rick had remodeled a two car garage to be used as a roast house. In
May of that year, Rick, Betsy, and Rob attended a roasters training course taught by Terry
Davis at the Ambex headquarters in Clearwater, Florida. There, they were taught the basic
mechanics of roasting coffee, and given a chance to hone their skills before returning home
to West Virginia to pursue their dream of a coffee roasting business that would roast and sell
only Organic Fair Trade coffees.
July 7, 2006 saw the doors open to the public for the first time. It was official, True Blue
Coffee Roasters was in business. Rob Luzader, trained by Mr. Davis in Florida, assumed the
position of Roastmaster and began roasting batch after batch of coffee. “That was both the
best of times and the worst of times,” he quipped. “I was learning so much about each
individual coffee and what it could produce. It took a lot of roasting before I was able to find
the sweetest point of the roast for each coffee.
Marketing and Selling
With a full line up of products, True Blue Coffee Roasters was ready to introduce their superb
Organic Fair Trade coffees to the market. Only one problem stood in their way. None of them
had any marketing experience. “We realized it was going to be harder than we thought to sell
the coffee,” Rick explained. “I knew the business end of it, Rob had the roasting end taken
care of, Betsy worked on the artwork and labels, and Linda took care of the accounting. We
had failed to realize a marketing plan.”
In the spring of 2007, True Blue Coffee Roasters had the good fortune to make the
aquaintance of Mark Murphy. In July of that year, he assumed the role of Chief Marketing
Director and began the task of assembling a sales force. “ I realized the task at hand was a
daunting one, but the opportunity to become involved at the ground level and play a pivotal
role in helping shape the future of True Blue Coffee Roasters was truly inviting. I have
thoroughly enjoyed the journey so far,” he recently said. Working long hours and placing a
focus on the company, it didn’t take Mark long to assemble a team of sales representatives.
On Growing Pains and Expansion
With a team of reps on the ground, it didn’t take long for the orders to start coming in.
Before long, True Blue Coffee Roasters had outgrown the space they had and needed to find
a much larger space. As with many new businesses, money was always a concern. “We knew
we had to move to a larger space and upgrade our equipment to fill these larger orders. The
problem was finances. Larger areas cost money.” Rick Smith explained. “Thankfully, Linda’s
husband, Bill Keller, decided to invest in the company, and as such, became the fifth and final
co-owner.”
With the finances from Mr. Keller, True Blue Coffee Roasters was able to retain a larger and
more accessible building. “Next came the fun part of outfitting the building with newer, more
efficient equipment and tables,” Roastmaster Rob explained. “Having never setup anything
like this before, it was hit and miss in laying it out, but we ended up having much more room
to work, as well as have equipment that could speed production. While these growing pains
were a headache at times, it is a journey that all of us look back at fondly.”
The Future and Being a Different Kind of Company
With everything in place, True Blue Coffee Roasters has hit the ground running. Sales
continue to increase as more and more of the public gets a chance to try their delicious
coffees. “We want to make True Blue Coffee Roasters a different type of business,"
Roastmaster Rob explains about their future plans. “We pride ourselves on customer service.
Anyone can call us and talk to the Roastmaster if they have a question.
We encourage people to stop by the roasting plant and have a cup of coffee with us. We
realize the most important aspect of the business is the customers. We welcome suggestions
and comments. This isn’t a journey that we are taking alone, it is one we are taking with our
customers, and we welcome them with open arms.”
Future plans also include a True Blue Foundation that will work with other businesses to
provide materials and monies for farmers of Organic Fair Trade coffees. Plans are currently
underway to unveil the foundation in the fall of 2009.
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