Jared Field is building a business based on nostalgia as well as the future.
In the early summer, Field and his business partner Cameron Russell spilled the beans about
Bloom Coffee Roasters and moved into a 2,000-square foot storage space in Lansing's REO Town. Along with an entrepreneurial spirit, they brought a small batch coffee roaster, some basic office equipment, and pounds of beans ready to roast into Lansing's newest line of craft coffees.
Field says his desire to introduce residents to the best coffee dates back to the love of the brew he acquired growing up in Michigan.
"For me, the coffee nostalgia goes back to when I was a kid and I'd spend time at my grandparents' cottage up north," he says. "It's that waking up to the smell of a freshly cooked breakfast and an overwhelming coffee aroma on a beautiful morning. It got me hooked."
Field didn't always set out to roast beans or to start his own business. As a new journalism graduate from Western Michigan University, Field took a job with a Kalamazoo coffee roaster. And while journalism jobs were sparse, the love for specialty coffee wasn't.
"I started roasting and fell in love with it," says Field who began roasting three years ago. "I told people I got the coffee buzz."
Field brought his knowledge of coffee to mid-Michigan after his father acquainted him with the start-up culture and coffee enthusiasm in Lansing.
After devising a strategy with the
Michigan Small Business Development Center, Field partnered with Russell to build a small batch coffee retailer and wholesaler. The two roast about 20 pounds of beans a day and get their five varieties of coffee through the Minnesota based
Café Imports.
Coffees are available online for purchase and delivery, and brewed cups can be found at Spotted Dog Café and the Waterfront Restaurant in the Lansing City Market. Field says he is working to line up additional venues, and plans to add up to five staff as business grows. He also wants to set up community-based programs to benefit particular non-profits.
"We strongly believe in Lansing and intend to be active in the community," says Field. "If we focus on roasting quality coffee and succeed, our business and the community around us will thrive."
Source: Jared Field, Owner, Bloom Coffee Roasters
Writer: Ann Kammerer, Development News Editor
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