Community Highlights: Meet Colette Huxtable of Chemistry Coffee Roasting

Today we’d like to introduce you to Colette Huxtable.

Hi Colette, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Owning my own business and being a coffee roaster was not something the younger me would have guessed for the future, but it has been an amazing journey and I am so grateful for this opportunity to share with you how that transpired.

I was a med-surg oncology nurse working in the hospital full time, married with three children. My husband is very creative and wanted to start a business. I had zero interest at first in doing that and said no. However, as my heart changed perspectives, I decided it would be best for me to have some schooling. This would provide me with a bit of comfort to jump into the entrepreneurial world. I took a year-long program online through Joseph Business School. It is a faith-based program and one of the assignments was to pray about what type of business to start. Chemistry Coffee Roasting was born from that assignment.

I had absolutely no clue how to roast coffee or even how to figure that out but quickly got connected with a school in California. During the class, I realized how well-suited I was for roasting. It is very scientific how the heat creates the reactions that happen in the bean, which brings out the natural flavors that you can taste in the cup! I am a nerd at heart and this was so satisfying. I also have a creative side to me and that is the craft side of roasting. The class grew my excitement and faith to move forward and buy a roasting machine.

I was 7 months pregnant with my fourth child at this time. Starting our new business was a wonderful opportunity to transition away from full-time work outside the home. We built a roast house on our property, bought a large roaster and I started convincing my friends to try my coffee! From there, it has grown and I continue to love the art of roasting.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I believe my experience is probably similar to others and this question totally makes me chuckle. There have definitely been some challenges along the way and it did not go quite like I thought it would. Flexibility and tenacity are great qualities to have as a small business owner.

I am going to be really transparent here, some of the biggest challenges were within myself. Wrestling to get out of my own way was one of them. I spent a lot of my time processing and thinking and what I needed to do was take more action steps. Trying to have everything perfect and getting stuck in some small details kept me moving a lot slower than I needed to go. My sister is a natural implementer and when I would find myself getting stuck on something, she would be there to give me feedback and encouragement toward the action steps.

One challenge specific to my business is growth without having a brick-and-mortar shop. I think people’s awareness of coffee companies is often associated with a coffee shops. So there have been challenges with getting known as a local coffee roaster. My business model is set up for direct sales and wholesale, anywhere from one bag of coffee purchases to large volume orders.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a specialty coffee roasting company. That means there is a higher standard of quality for the coffee beans we roast. We choose beans with great natural flavor profiles so that when roasted, customers get to taste those flavors in their cups of delicious coffee.

We are hoping that you will try our coffee and realize that you do not have to mask it with a bunch of sugar and milk because you realize the coffee actually has the flavor you like! Now, I am not saying you shouldn’t add things to your coffee. We totally want you to have coffee exactly how you enjoy it. I am always excited when I hear someone say they usually need to add a bunch of cream and sugar but when they tried our coffee, they realized it tasted great without it! Our goal is to bring the highest quality and best taste for you to enjoy our coffee. We would be a perfect choice for any type of business that is looking for something special to serve its customers.

We are very passionate about health and well-being so that is why we chose to buy coffee beans that are organically grown. When we purchase decaffeinated coffee, we buy Swiss water-processed beans so that there are no chemicals involved in the decaffeination process. As of yet, we have not gone through the application process and fees associated with organic labeling. We have been holding off until the cost of the certification fiscally makes sense. The most important thing to us is that the care for the bean has been done by the farmer who is certified organically.

Our name, Chemistry Coffee, comes partly from that science nerd mentioned earlier. An even greater passion is the love of sharing special moments over a coffee with friends and family. We use the saying “Love coffee, love people” as it is really at the heart of our company to exude the chemistry of love. Coffee is one way for creating connections. We genuinely wish to make an impact in our community and love partnering with fundraisers for things like sports, events, and schools.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson on my journey has definitely been learning to be authentic. I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out the “right way” to have the business look and formulate it based on how everyone else seems to be doing things.

It has taken me a while to figure out the right way is the way I personally do it. I have learned to let go and allow my business to evolve and take flight in a direction that may not be the same as everyone else. It means I get to be uniquely me! I suppose that may be something we all have to learn at some point, both on a personal level and a professional level.

I also feel being authentic is not trying to make my business and products so that everyone will love them and no one will dislike them. That is very unlikely. I am grateful I figured this out so I could enjoy truly sharing authentically what I love about coffee! It is very freeing and the most wonderful lesson on my journey to come to the realization I have everything that I need inside of me. Which means so do you!

Pricing:

• Get delicious coffee delivered to your door with our coffee subscription! Two 12oz bags for $30. Four 12oz bags/mo. $50 including shipping.
• Give the gift of coffee as a friendly gift or birthday present for those hard-to-shop-for people with our 3-month prepaid coffee subscription. Your loved one will get 3 different bags of coffee, one each month for a total of three months. $60 Including shipping.
• Coffee lovers who want plenty of coffee on hand will love our 5lb bags available for $70 including shipping.
• Wholesale & Fundraising options are available by requesting a quote. Please contact us today!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.ChemistryCoffeeRoasting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chemistrycoffeeroasting/?next=%2F
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chemistrycoffeeroasting

Image Credits
Joni Harding Photography