Nearly 24 years old. This Portland based coffee company has been wheeling and dealing its way to a global powerhouse position. How? Well, like everything I talk about it all starts with a seed from a long forgotten memory.
I was walking near Capital Hill in the city of Seattle, WA 2005. My friend and I were discussing why the coffee scene felt snobby. In that conversation I asked if you had three coffee roasters to live on the rest of your life, right now what would they be? They responded with Victrola, Stumptown and Vivace. Now this persons coffee Cred’s were established and trusted in my eyes. So when she mentioned Victrola that was no surprise because we had just come from that shop. They were also a Barista there so paying respects to to the mouth that feeds is obligatory. Vivace was perdictable as well because it has been the OG vanguard in the original quality-coffee movement.
Stumptown however in circa 2005 was unknown to me. The name itself jogged my memories about boomtown westward expansion. The coastal cities that sprang up overnight leaving behind barren forests and nothing by stumps from the lumber requirements. The name upset me. The thought of clear cutting upsets me. The coffee they create does not.
“Roasting requires love”
You can taste it!
This café roaster was the only one named not based in Seattle. The very thought of great coffee coming from a place outside of the mecca was foreign to me. My juvenile mind was unable to comprehend the concept that great coffee roasting had been established in other cities. However for the sake of following through I purchased a pound of dark roast from each of the listed shops and went on my merry way.
Fast forward 18 years. I sit inside the Portland airport and stare at the cooperate, polished and ever present Stumptown stall. As I drink a cup of Holler Mountain the flood of time hits me. I am half impressed with the success of this brand and saddened. My immature mind has been plagued with the notion that my special little world was coming unraveled. It seemed like all of the little eccentric hobbies and specialty knowledge I had gleaned over the years had become mainstream. I used to consider it art. A language that spoke to me and few others. Now it was common place.
In this moment, I begin to get spun around the axel… did folks buy in? or did Stumptown sell out? Peet’s coffee bought the farm years ago but the quality and excellence was still there. I could taste it. This coffee is top 10 for me. It hits every category in stride and keeps surprising me.
For instance the Grocer New Seasons in the Portland area carries Stumptown of course. However Stump did them a marketing solid and created a special Roast just for the store brand. How cool I thought. But boy oh boy was I blown away. The roast was solid. I went through 2lbs of it and my desire grew stronger. The really interesting thing is that you can’t find this specialty roast online or even in the brick and mortar stores from Stump. So think of it as small batch or allocated roasts. This exclusivity then brings clout to the Grocer.
The conclusion I drew (after conversation with my friend) was that its okay. It’s okay to no longer be fringe and be part of the collective. The same wonder and enjoyment that I have come to covet is now accessible to the masses. Others get to experience the taste and quality now, nationwide. What’s wrong with that?
Your friendly Sprouts all natural grocers carry’s this wonderful Roastery. Is that a dig on Stumptown? No. Its a praise to Sprouts and there team for selecting such a fantastic northwest favorite. It brings my home to me. Which I love. So thank you.
Be happy about the success of others.