Richard Glynn has bought a state-of-the-art, Scandinavian designed, energy efficient, electric induction table-top roaster, which can roast 1 kilogram of beans in 9 1⁄2 to 12 minutes
By Denise Bacon
Coffee lovers can kick it up a notch. Rich Coffee Co., a new local company, is roasting specialty coffee beans right here in Centennial.
Richard Glynn is a mechanic who has become a Micro Batch Specialty Coffee Roaster. He got his first taste of coffee at 9 years of age when his mom stirred up a cup for him. This taste developed into a passion for him over the years.
Working as a mechanic, Richard would drink a lot of coffee to keep up his energy to do his highly physical job. He soon started drinking espresso with friends and he marvelled at the different types and flavours of coffee he tasted. As the pandemic and shutdowns were starting, Richard said that he “went down a rabbit hole, exploring online how coffee could taste different and how the taste could be changed.”
Chrissy, Richard’s wife, recognized that this was becoming more than just a hobby for Richard and she became very supportive and even got a little caught up with this new interest. During a long drive during pandemic days, he and Chrissy were chatting about things to do during the lockdown and Richard decided then and there to start roasting his own coffee beans.
Richard bought books to learn about the origin of coffee beans and the factors that affect their quality and taste like location, altitude, soil conditions and processing methods. Being a hands-on person, Richard soon bought a stove-top mini roaster. This is where his hobby really needed support from his family! The kitchen became the coffee lab as Richard tested various beans and roasting methods.
An evening with Chrissy’s friends months later evolved into a coffee tasting session. The friends were so impressed with the coffee that they wanted more and encouraged Richard to sell the beans. Fast forward to a West Rouge Shop Local campaign in 2021 and Richard took the plunge to sell his beans.
He and Chrissy developed a logo for the brand-new business venture. Richard had to quickly learn the business side of turning a hobby into a small business. He marketed his small bags of coffee beans as perfect stocking stuffers.
“It was insane!” said Richard and Chrissy together. The small stove-top roaster produced only about6 six ounces of coffee at a time, so Richard had to work long and hard to fulfill the many orders for Christmas 2021. He worked with this small roaster again through the Christmas 2022 season but by then had learned to streamline the process.
Richard has since bought a state-of-the-art, Scandinavian designed, energy efficient, electric induction table-top roaster, which comes with its proprietary computer program to roast coffee beans. It has a capacity of roasting 1 kg of beans at a time in 9 ½ to 12 minutes.
Coffee is a Canadian staple. However, most people know little about how it gets from the plant into their cups. The beans that are the nut in the coffee plant cherry are processed for specialty coffees most commonly in two ways: washing the fruit off the bean or letting the whole fruit dry so that the bean is affected by the fruit fermenting around it.
The altitude at which the coffee plant grows affects the density of the bean. Higher altitudes generally have cooler temperatures where growth is slower and leads to denser beans. Dense beans have more desirable, less bitter flavours. The three broad grades of roasting, light, medium and dark, with shades in between each grade, are based on individual preferences. There are several phases in the roasting process where chemical reactions and timing between the phases affect the coffee flavour and the roaster’s computer program is essential to the process.
Ever wonder about the little valve built into coffee bean bags? These are one-way valves that allow the beans to “off-gas” after roasting. The optimal time to brew coffee after roasting is one week for the best aroma and flavour. Roasted coffee beans retain their peak freshness for about two months. Only the aroma may be sacrificed over time, but the flavour of brewed coffee remains. Freezing coffee beans prolongs their freshness.
Coffee beans are available in various grades and Richard sells only Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) graded coffee with a point score of 80 or higher. The SCA promotes sustainability and higher returns to the growers than non-SCA graded coffees.
Richard cannot claim that roasting coffee beans is only a hobby anymore! His hobby turned passion has now turned into a successful small business. Richard’s dream is to retire from his mechanic job one day and make people happy with his delicious coffees.
Richard can be reached via email at rich_coffee_co@hotmail.com, or Facebook at RichCoffeeCo, or Instagram at @rich_coffee_co or via telephone at 647-388-1426.