Pivot Roasters: A Blue Water Area business with global roots

Blue Water Area entrepreneur Rachael Odish is brewing up something special with her business, Pivot Roasters.

A Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) certified coffee roaster and Port Huron resident originally from the Metro Detroit area, Odish launched her business in late 2022 bringing over 15 years of experience in the food and restaurant industry including over a decade specifically focused on coffee.

She says her journey began around the time she was 18 years old when she moved to Honduras to participate in a computer-based English teaching program. Living there on and off for four years, Odish says she gained firsthand insights into coffee through her travels and the people she met.
Rachael Odish, owner of Pivot Roasters, poses for a photo in June 2024 while planting coffee at Hacienda La Minita, a coffee producer in Costa Rica.
“It was my first interaction with seeing coffee, especially seeing coffee being done by small-time farmers that are maybe not even growing for international sale,” she recalls. “You’ll just be out there driving through the mountains, and suddenly you’re taking a side path. You stop, get out, and now you’re talking to a coffee farmer who has coffee laid out. It’s just a very casual thing.”

Later while living in Seattle, a hub for coffee in the U.S., Odish says the experience further deepened her understanding of the industry and provided opportunities for her to connect with coffee professionals from around the world.

“I was able to meet people from everywhere — Ethiopia, Brazil, you name it,” she says. “As a small business owner, doing that allowed me to grow these intimate relationships with producers.”

This foundation started Odish on the path to creating her own coffee-focused business, combining her expertise with her desire to create affordable, high-quality products.

Pivot Roasters offers a wide range of rotating coffees, including single-origin coffees such as the Colombia Alto Occidente with hints of plum and sweet dried fruit or the Guatemala Huehuetenango Mujeres Santo Domingo, described with flavor notes of caramel, lemon, brown sugar, dried cherry, and maple syrup. Beyond retail sales, Pivot Roasters also offers coffee subscriptions and wholesale supply options.

Odish says she appreciates the support from local organizations and the Blue Water Area community. She received a small business grant through The Underground to help purchase her roasting equipment, further propelling her vision for Pivot Roasters.

“I would love to do collaborations, really handcrafted and artisanal coffee that people can enjoy for a decent price,” Odish says. “I try not to charge too much, and of course I’m a small business so I have to charge a certain amount, but I want to get to a point where I can offer everyone a really good cup of coffee that blows people away — but they’re also not paying $8 for it.”

For more information on Pivot Roasters or to inquire about wholesale opportunities, visit pivotroasters.com or contact Odish at rachael@pivotroasters.com.