Meet the Roasters
Roasters and coffees rotate regularly, so there’s always something new to discover.
Waverly, Iowa
Based right here in Waverly, Iowa, thinkwell. approaches coffee as both a craft and a connection between people, place, agriculture, and the work behind every cup.
Owner Erik Johnson keeps the roasting process intentionally human. thinkwell. coffee is drum roasted without automated roasting systems, allowing each batch to guide the process rather than forcing every roast to match a preset profile. Their use of Finish Roast Temperature reflects that philosophy, with lower-temperature roasts tending to highlight brighter, more complex flavors and higher-temperature roasts producing more traditional, caramelized, and roasty characteristics.
Simply put, the coffee dictates the process — not production.
The goal is clean, fresh, high-quality specialty coffee that remains approachable. thinkwell. takes coffee seriously without making it feel elitist or intimidating.
That same care extends to where the coffee comes from. thinkwell. emphasizes ethical sourcing, traceability, quality agriculture, and lasting relationships with growers, producers, importers, and partners whose practices have been visited, vetted, or built through trusted relationships. For Erik, great coffee also means caring for the people producing it, respecting the land, and working with others who share those values — creating a kind of web of people behind every cup.
That philosophy became especially clear to me when I tried their Burundi Turihamwe.
Turihamwe means “together” in Kirundi, fitting the story behind the coffee. The women producing it worked, studied, and saved their premiums over several years to build their own wet mill, giving them greater control over the quality and processing of their coffee. thinkwell. describes the cup with notes of raspberry, kola, and honey, with a balanced, warming finish.
The coffee was absolutely delicious, but the story behind it made it even more memorable.
Erik has also been a great partner to Slow Morning from the beginning, welcoming the idea with enthusiasm and taking the time to understand what Slow Morning is trying to build.
That combination is why thinkwell. feels like such a natural fit.
There is precision in the way they study coffee, craftsmanship in the way they roast it, purpose in the relationships behind it, and an approachability that makes specialty coffee something anyone can enjoy.
We’re proud to feature thinkwell. in the Slow Morning lineup and excited to introduce more people to what they’re roasting right here in Waverly.
This is exactly what Slow Morning is about: discovering great coffee, learning the stories behind the roasters, and hopefully finding a new favorite along the way.
San Diego, California
Some things just seem to belong together: fresh snow, an early start, and a really good cup of coffee. That idea is at the heart of Ski Bum Coffee Co®, a brand built around specialty coffee and the outdoor lifestyle that gets people out of bed early and heading toward their next adventure.
The company’s roots are tied to two brothers, Frank and Matt, who share a passion for skiing, snowboarding, coffee, and mountain culture. What began with that shared enthusiasm eventually became a coffee brand designed to bring a little of the ski-day experience into the everyday ritual of making coffee. For skiers and snowboarders, the day often starts long before the first chair turns. It’s the alarm going off while it’s still dark outside. It’s checking the conditions. It’s the cold air, the anticipation of fresh snow, and that first warm cup of coffee before heading out the door.
Ski Bum Coffee Co® was built around that feeling.
Their coffees are carefully sourced and crafted with an alpine-inspired personality, creating a lineup that feels just as at home in a ski lodge as it does at the kitchen table. And they have some fun with the names. First Chair Fusion. Snowboarder’s Blend. Bluebird Day Bali Blue. Gnarly Espresso Blend. Hard Pack Cold Brew Blend. Après S’more Roast. The names are playful by design, but the coffee itself is taken seriously. Ski Bum Coffee Co® focuses on specialty coffee and offers blends and single-origin coffees, along with flavored coffees, espresso and cold-brew options, and Swiss Water Process decaf.
Freshness is another big part of the Ski Bum approach. Rather than coffee sitting for extended periods on a retail shelf, their direct-to-consumer model is focused on roasting and shipping coffee directly to customers, with the goal of preserving its flavor, aroma, and character from roast to cup. But there’s another part of the Ski Bum philosophy that goes beyond where the coffee is roasted or where it ends up being enjoyed.
So where’s their coffee shop? Which mountain are they tied to?
Their answer is simple: their mountain is wherever you are. Your mountain is their mountain.
That idea is central to what Ski Bum is all about. The brand may be inspired by skiing and snowboarding, but you don’t have to live next to a ski hill—or even be heading to one—to be part of the Ski Bum community. The mountain connection also goes beyond branding.
Ski Bum Coffee Co® supports Protect Our Winters (POW), an organization working to protect the outdoor places and winter environments that are central to skiing, snowboarding, and the broader outdoor community. The company currently contributes $1 from every purchase to Protect Our Winters.
For a brand built around winter recreation, the connection makes sense. The places people love to ski, ride, and explore are also places worth protecting. And that really gets to the heart of the “ski bum” idea. It isn’t necessarily about one destination or one type of skier. It’s a mindset: get outside, chase good conditions, enjoy the moment, and don’t take yourself too seriously along the way. There’s also something inherently fun about a ski-inspired coffee company coming out of San Diego. But maybe it isn’t quite as strange as it first sounds. Skiing has always involved travel, anticipation, early mornings, and the pursuit of something worth getting up for. Coffee fits naturally into that ritual—whether the destination is a mountain parking lot before first chair or simply the kitchen before another day begins. That combination of coffee, personality, freshness, and a genuine connection to the lifestyle behind the brand is what made Ski Bum Coffee Co® stand out to Slow Morning.
For us, that’s exactly the kind of story worth sharing. So we’re happy to welcome Ski Bum Coffee Co® to the Slow Morning rotation.
Because sometimes the best mornings start with a great cup of specialty coffee—and the possibility that there’s a bluebird day waiting somewhere ahead.
Jeffersonville, Indiana
NOVARO Coffee was built around the story of Nova, a rescue dog. Nova had been neglected, was underweight, and was just hours away from being surrendered to an overcrowded shelter. She was taken in before that happened and given a second chance — and eventually became the inspiration for the entire company. Even the name connects back to her: Nova comes from the Latin word for “new,” representing a new beginning and a fresh start.
That story immediately stood out to me. I’m a huge dog lover, so finding a coffee company whose mission is genuinely tied to animal rescue makes this partnership especially meaningful to me. NOVARO commits 10% of its profits to animal rescue, working to support shelters and rescue organizations that are giving animals the same kind of second chance Nova received. Their current partner spotlight is the Animal Care Society in Louisville, Kentucky, a privately funded no-kill shelter that says it has placed more than 17,000 animals into homes.
Of course, the coffee still has to be worth discovering — and that is where Ember comes in.
Ember is a single-origin Ethiopian coffee from the Sidama region, made with indigenous heirloom varieties and naturally processed to preserve the fruit and floral character of the coffee. NOVARO describes the cup with notes of caramel, vanilla, berry, and florals, with a brighter, more expressive profile than a traditional everyday blend. Their roasting approach is intentionally kept on the lighter side so the characteristics of the coffee’s origin remain noticeable rather than being covered up by the roast.
It is especially suited for pour-over, Chemex, AeroPress, and other manual brewing methods, where those layers have more room to show themselves. NOVARO even notes that the coffee changes as it cools, with different flavors becoming more noticeable over the course of the cup — exactly the kind of coffee that fits the idea of slowing down and actually paying attention to what you’re drinking.
That combination is what made NOVARO such a natural fit for Slow Morning: an independent roaster, a coffee with a distinct sense of place, and a story that means something beyond what is inside the bag.
You can walk into a grocery store and buy coffee almost anywhere. But there are independent roasters all over the country doing things differently — sourcing coffees for specific flavors, roasting them with intention, building businesses around causes they care about, and creating cups you may never have encountered otherwise.
Those are the places I want showing up on your doorstep.
Slow Morning is proud to welcome NOVARO to the rotation!
Conway, Arkansas
Based in Conway, Arkansas, Kingdom Coffee Roasters is a faith-driven roaster built around a simple mission: roast exceptional coffee and use it to help carry the Gospel to communities around the world that have never heard it.
Kingdom roasts its coffee in small batches and works with specialty coffees from origins including Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Peru. But what makes their story especially unique is what happens after the coffee is sold: 100% of Kingdom Coffee Roasters' profits are directed toward Christian missions and Gospel outreach.
Their work supports missionaries and organizations serving communities around the world, making each bag of coffee part of something much larger than a morning routine.
That combination of great coffee, a meaningful story, and a mission rooted in faith is exactly why Kingdom Coffee Roasters belongs in the Slow Morning lineup.
At Slow Morning Coffee Co., we believe discovering coffee should also mean discovering the people, places, and stories behind it. Kingdom is a perfect example of that.
We are proud to feature Kingdom Coffee Roasters in our whole-bean line-up.
Ceres, California
Jones’N Java is a family-run company with a story that started around the kitchen table.
Their name actually came from the Jones family themselves. Their son Jonathan pointed out that their last name was Jones—and that people “jones” for the things they love. Coffee included. From there, Jones’N Java was born.
As they began learning more about coffee, the family became increasingly focused on freshness, quality, and how coffee is sourced. Jones’N Java says it uses specialty-grade coffee, sources with an emphasis on fair treatment for farmers, and roasts coffee to order rather than letting finished coffee sit in warehouses for months.
Their lineup also reflects the kind of variety I like to feature through Slow Morning. They offer everything from signature blends and single-origin coffees to flavored coffees, espresso, decaf, and sample packs—giving people plenty of different directions to explore.
One of the biggest things that stood out to me about Jones’N Java is that their story goes beyond the coffee itself.
Their youngest son, Jotham, has autism, and the family has talked openly about how that experience shaped the larger vision for the company. Their goal is to eventually create meaningful work opportunities for people with autism and other disabilities—giving people a place to work, grow, and experience independence with dignity and support.
That makes Jones’N Java feel very personal.
It isn’t just a brand built around selling coffee. It’s a family business with a clear reason for what they’re trying to build.
They make trying new coffee approachable. Their variety gives people an opportunity to explore without feeling like coffee has to be overly complicated or intimidating.
Second, I liked their emphasis on freshness and roasting to order. If Slow Morning is going to introduce someone to a new roaster, I want that roaster to care about what actually ends up in the cup.
But their family story was what made them especially memorable to me.
There are a lot of companies that can sell coffee. I’m much more interested in working with independent roasters where there are real people, values, and a story behind the bag.
Jones’N Java has all three. That is exactly the kind of roaster I want people discovering through Slow Morning.
North Tonawanda, New York
For New Day Coffee Roasters, good coffee and community have always gone hand in hand.
Based in North Tonawanda, New York, New Day is a micro-roaster focused on freshness, variety, and giving customers plenty of ways to enjoy coffee. Their lineup ranges from traditional single-origin coffees and blends to a large selection of flavored coffees and single-serve options.
As a smaller roaster, New Day emphasizes having greater control over the finished product. Their coffee is packaged in resealable valve bags and, according to the company, shipped within 24 hours of roasting whenever possible. They source beans from around the world through importers that work directly with coffee producers, with the goal of delivering coffee that is both fresh and thoughtfully sourced.
But the coffee is only part of what caught my attention.
New Day has made supporting its community part of the business.
A portion of proceeds from its coffee has gone to local organizations including the FeedMore WNY/Food Bank community and Roswell Park, among other local causes.
They also have a long-running fundraising program designed specifically for schools, churches, daycares, teams, and other community organizations. Groups can use New Day coffee as a fundraiser and keep a portion of the sales to support their own programs. Their website includes testimonials from organizations that have worked with them for years — including a middle school that says it has partnered with New Day for its annual fundraiser for nearly two decades.
That part of their story fits very naturally with what I want Slow Morning to highlight.
There are two things I look for when bringing a roaster into the Slow Morning lineup.
First, the coffee has to give people something worth discovering.
New Day certainly does that. Their range of traditional and flavored coffees makes them a fun roaster to explore, especially for someone who likes stepping outside the same coffee they drink every morning.
But I also like finding businesses where there is something meaningful behind the coffee.
New Day's commitment to local charities and its work helping schools, churches, children's programs, and other organizations raise money stood out to me. It is another example of an independent coffee company using what it does well to support the people around it.
That is exactly the kind of story I enjoy sharing through Slow Morning.
The goal of every box is to help someone discover a coffee they may never have tried otherwise. Sometimes that discovery leads to a new favorite flavor. Other times, it introduces you to a company whose story gives you another reason to remember the coffee.
With New Day, you get a little of both.
Portland, Oregon
Cycle Town Coffee Roasters was founded in Portland in 2013, bringing together two things that naturally fit the Pacific Northwest: great coffee and getting outside.
The team behind Cycle Town brought decades of coffee experience into a brand built around movement, adventure, cycling, and whatever motivates someone to get up and get going in the morning. Their motto, “Share the Coffee. Share the Road.”, captures that personality well.
That identity originally caught my attention, but there is more behind the coffee.
Cycle Town places a strong emphasis on where its beans come from and the relationships behind them. They work with farms they have relationships with and use Fair Trade, Organic, and their own Direct Trade practices to help ensure producers are treated and paid fairly. Their philosophy is that strong relationships with farmers lead to better communities, better coffee, and partnerships that can last.
They also focus heavily on freshness. Coffee is roaster and packed as orders come in rather than sitting on a shelf waiting to be sold, using both drum and air roasting depending on the coffee and batch.
That combination is why I wanted Cycle Town in the Slow Morning lineup.
Their coffee gives people plenty to discover, but I also appreciate the thought they put into sourcing, farmer relationships, sustainability, and quality. Not every roaster Slow Morning features has the same type of mission, and that is part of what makes discovering them interesting.
Cycle Town has its own personality, its own approach, and a story that feels distinctly Portland.
That makes it exactly the kind of independent roaster I enjoy introducing people to.