Blueprint Coffee is near and dear to our hearts, only a state away in St. Louis, Missouri they are roasting some of the finest coffee around. We appreciate them for consistently developing friendly yet unique coffee that is desired by the wide variety of coffee seekers who come through our doors. This week we gained a new admiration for this little roastery as I got to speak with one of the six owners Mike Marquard.
Mike got his start in this caffeine ridden industry at Kaldi’s Coffee, where the service oriented attitude and underestimated complexity of coffee convinced Mike to turn this “temporary job” into his career. Blueprint opened on September 2nd 2013 as a roastry, kitchen, and coffee bar with an intense focus on personalizing the way coffee is sourced.
Although, quality is of high priority and each coffee they serve scores 84 points or above, Blueprint only purchases coffee from farms they can develop a “mutually beneficial relationship” with. Desiring to cultivate long lasting relationships with the farms in order to benefit the industry from seed to cup. From funding tarps for a cooperative in Ethiopia to educating farmers in Columbia on the proper care of soil, Blueprint cares for the harvest from sprout to mug.
Mike will be with us this Tuesday September 13th at 6:30 to teach a class about roasting. Traveling alongside Mike is Blueprints roaster and green buyer Andrew Timko to educate us on the fine details that goes into transporting the coffee from these farms to the US. Educating us on the extremely important, yet often overlooked, life the bean has before the flame. This is Blueprints passion, and we are honored to have them share this intricate process with us.
Nicole
P.S. Mike and Andrew will be discussing their coffee adventures for around an hour, while graciously sharing some decadent brews and sending you home with a bag of your own! You can sign up on this website and reserve your spot for 30 dollars, which covers the class and coffee.