Celebrant Pam Vetter


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Rocky Rhodes Welcomes Coffee Competition
Contributed by: Pam Vetter

Banner Contest at Local Coffee Roaster !

9/12/06 Valley News Article

I love coffee! Some days, I need my coffee! It is a treat to order a warm, non-fat latte topped with beautiful white foam. There is an art to making a good cup of coffee. Fifteen years ago, I fell in love with coffee and it has been a staple in my life ever since.

Recently, I have been looking for an upgrade to my coffee experience. I started looking around my neighborhood and I found the best cup of Joe I've ever tasted!

Rocky Roaster at 7239 Canoga Avenue, Canoga Park, has heard similar stories from their customers. In fact, they call their new customers, "Starbucks Graduates." Rocky Roaster actually roasts their own beans. Their espresso and coffee both have robust flavors. The aroma in the shop is pleasing to the senses and their coffee leaves you with a warm feeling of satisfaction. Rocky Roaster provides coffee for many studios and restaurants, but they invite the individual coffee lover into their shop to share the experience.

Owner of Rocky Roaster Rocky Rhodes welcomes competition. In fact, Starbucks will soon open a store across the street from Rocky Roaster. It will be a drive thru Starbucks, but Rhodes explains why his coffee tastes different than the Starbucks chain.

"They are really good at what they do. They have a great marketing team. Starbucks is a chain around the world for convenience buyers. We are different. We market our coffee to the quality buyer," Rhodes said. "We spend time hand roasting each bean to get a full flavor. Most importantly, we try to sell our whole beans within three days of roasting so our customers can experience the full flavor."

Rhodes has started a banner contest to promote Rocky Roaster when Starbucks opens across the street.

The path to being an independent roaster was one that was meant to be. Rhodes was raised in Seattle, home of the first Starbucks. He graduated from Seattle University in 1986 with a degree in Humanities. In 1991, he moved to Redondo Beach. By 1994, he married his wife Kimberly and moved to the valley. They have two children, Heather and Dane.

One day, Rhodes was driving around in search of a cup of coffee. He stopped at a shop and asked for a double tall mocha and the clerk stared at him like a deer caught in headlights. He was frustrated. Soon, he found the book, " The Perfect Cup: A Coffee Lover's Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Tasting," by Timothy James Castle. Rhodes learned that anyone can roast coffee beans in their popcorn popper at home.

Rhodes found the perfect place to buy green coffee beans to roast. He visited "The Coffee Roaster," in Sherman Oaks, and met the owner and his future mentor, Dick Healy.

For the next year, Rhodes learned everything about coffee beans from Healy. It turned into an apprenticeship that would change his life.

Rhodes roasted coffee beans at night and sold the beans wholesale during the day. "The business grew from the store to the Northridge Farmer's Market to restaurants. The growth was guiding itself," he said.

Soon, he was providing craft service coffee to "Judge Judy." His business continued to grow. He was brewing for studios and providing the whole beans to film sets for them to brew their own coffee.

Rhodes remains passionate about his coffee roasting. He explained, "From harvest to the consumer, it is a four month journey for each coffee bean. Each bean starts in a high altitude jungle. For specialty coffee, the beans should be at least 2500 feet or above 2500 feet, grown between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. All of our beans are imported from 20 locations around the world. There is only one coffee grown in the United States and that is in Hawaii."

"The coffee bean starts as a cherry on a tree. Inside the cherry is the green bean. The beans are raked and dried, the shell is cracked off, and the beans are sorted by hand in the village. They're sorted by size. By this point, the beans have passed through 10 to 20 hands. Everything is done by hand. The burlap sacks are filled with the green beans and taken to importers to taste samples of coffee. Each is assigned a grade and a market price." He said, "We buy directly from farmers or through brokers. We only buy grade 1 or grade 2, the best of the best. This year, we expect to roast 100,000 pounds of coffee beans in Canoga Park."

Rhodes clearly respects the challenge. "There is an artistry in roasting. So many people have gone to so much work in choosing each bean that the roasting process has to be perfect to get the most flavor out of the bean. During roasting, the beans physically grow, they puff up to double their size, and we roast them in four styles: Medium, Viennese, French, and Italian. We have 20 varietals, 7 blends, 4 different roast styles and we do it all with one roaster. We have an obligation to do it right. This is called specialty coffee for a reason."

Once you hear Rhodes explain the process of roasting in detail, you realize how important the roasting is to each batch. You can smell the difference and you can see the difference. Rhodes also advises the consumer to store their whole beans in an airtight container for regular use. Refrigerating coffee beans is never recommended. For long-term storage, beans should be placed in the freezer.

As for Starbucks moving across the street, Rocky says history is on his side. "Whenever a Starbucks moves in a near proximity of a local roaster, business does not decrease, it actually increases by 20%," he said with a smile.

To capitalize on this opportunity, Rocky Roaster is holding a banner contest to bring attention to the coffee house. Submit a creative idea for the banner and win a special prize. The winner's name will be placed on the banner, he or she will have full bragging rights, and one free pound of whole bean coffee.

Employee Jennifer Cooper-Johnson has been working at Rocky Roaster since February. She said, "I like the customers and I love making them smile with a good cup of coffee!" Her favorite coffee bean is the Guatemala Huehuetenago. Not easy to pronounce, but you're going to want to try it, because it is delicious!

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