Exploring Life & Business with Jace Benzing of Roasting Beans

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jace Benzing.

Hi, Jace; we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I enjoyed stealing sips of my mother’s cold afternoon brew when I was younger. I thought I was sneaky, but she knew what I was doing. When she figured out coffee had a calming effect on me and didn’t raise my blood sugar, she welcomed my newfound love of coffee. Oh yeah, by the way, I have type one diabetes. I’ve had it since I was 8 years old. As I moved forward into my teenage years, my parents started looking for ways to help me gain confidence and give me a place to grow. Oh yeah, one more thing: I am autistic. I have a few other medical things going on, but those do not matter much, and I don’t allow them to hold me back. My mother already had a coffee bean roaster, and I became interested in roasting beans. I ended up using it more than she did. My coffee roasting soon surpassed her abilities, and she realized I had a gift for roasting coffee. I was roasting for the family and those around us. As my parents were brainstorming, they discovered my love for coffee could turn into something that would accomplish my goal, which is to be successful in whatever I want to pursue in my life. It was excellent when they brought up their idea of creating a coffee-roasting business.

When my parents created the LLC, I decided the name would be Roasting Beans because that is what we are doing. So basically, I am an autistic goofball who likes coffee because of how it tastes and smells. I like roasting coffee because it is fun and relaxing, plus I really enjoy the aromas it creates. Yes, this business is set up to help my confidence and give me a place to grow. But it has also helped me learn about responsibility and has given me the resources to talk with others. I am grateful that my parents did this for me for those reasons. I am enjoying this adventure.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Confidence and communicating with others have always been struggles I have had. Having to practice those skills has been a challenge. But I am enjoying myself, and my accomplishments have been excellent. Having to write down my top-secret roasting recipes or profiles has also been a challenge because I don’t like following directions, and I like experimenting. Roasting coffee is like a chemistry experiment, and everything around me can affect the outcome of the roast. The weather, the time of day, the moisture of the beans- it’s so cool, and I really love it. My parents set up the website, and they didn’t know what they were doing, but it looked pretty cool. I am not a fan of vendor fairs, so most of my sales have been word of mouth. I love getting feedback on my roasts, whether they are the single origins or the few blends I have created.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a micro/small batch whole bean coffee roaster specializing in single-origin beans. All beans are specialty-grade Arabica beans. We roast fresh. So when you get beans from us, they are usually roasted within a day or two of placing your order.

How do you think about luck?
My parents have told me life is an adventure and we must keep moving forward. It doesn’t matter if those steps are little or big; keep moving forward. My health hasn’t been the greatest at times, but I keep moving forward. My family has had its share of ups and downs, and we keep moving forward. I would love for this business my parents created for me to grow and create opportunities for others like me. I have benefited from their goofy, out-of-the-box, not-so-typical way of thinking.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.roastingbeanscoffee.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roastingbeansroaster/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roastingbeanscoffee
• Other: https://linkup.top/roastingbeansroaster

Image Credits
All images are from Crystal Benzing at Roasting Beans