Issue 132: November | October 2025
From the Publisher
The founder and publisher of Roast magazine, Connie Blumhardt has spent over 25 years in magazine publishing and has worked in the coffee industry for the last 20 years. Connie brings the same passion and commitment to this industry journal that is present within the roasting community.
With each issue, Connie brings insight and inspiration to the pages of Roast with this column.
Each year, as I prepare to write my column for our Roaster of the Year issue, I look for common threads or themes across the micro and macro category winners. Some years the similarities are completely clear. Other years, I might try too hard to find the similarities, convinced there’s always something. This year, I realized there’s not only a common thread between the winners, but a common thread that extends throughout all our past winners as well: Infuse your work and your company with your personality, or in many cases the personalities of all the founders, leaders and employees.
There are many roasters. It’s hard to stand out, and it is often counterproductive to try too hard to do so. The best companies stand out by being themselves. They stay true to why they got into roasting, both as a passion and as a business, and their success results from not shying away from that passion.
Without spoiling the article, our Micro Roaster of the Year, Kafiex Roasters, is the owners’ story brought to life. Wonderful people running a wonderful business.
For our Macro Roaster of the Year, Driftaway Coffee, the owners’ passion for creating systems that drive results shows through all aspects of their business. They understand that data and systems are tools to capture human feedback, not just for business optimization but to connect people so all parts of the system benefit. Of equal importance, data needs to be useful and actionable to benefit people and communities.
Also deserving of recognition are our award finalists—Corvus Coffee Roasters and Nossa Familia Coffee in the Macro Roaster of the Year category, and Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters and Three Keys Coffee in the Micro Roaster of the Year category. These companies reflect the same spirit—staying true to who they are, building businesses rooted in passion, and allowing that authenticity to shine through their coffee.
I feel good about pulling a common thread through all the past years’ winners, but there’s also something that stands out this year: Both companies relied heavily on friends and family to gauge the possibility of becoming a viable coffee business. Don’t forget those closest to you for advice. They can often be the most unfiltered and honest consultants you will ever engage.
Warmest wishes,
Connie
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