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Meet Hannah Romberg of Espressions Coffee Roastery in 48th Street and Washington

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Romberg.

Hannah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve loved coffee since college. I was introduced to great quality beans in Texas when I waited and bartended my way through school. At the time that I moved to the Phoenix area MANY years ago (think pre-Starbucks), it was impossible to find good, freshly-roasted beans. As I learned that fellow coffee lovers in the Valley were ordering product from out of state, the idea was born to open my own coffee roaster. I moved back home to Dallas and worked for free at a small roaster to learn the craft of roasting. That was almost 30 years ago.

I’ve had the pleasure of working pretty much my entire career producing product that I’m proud of and that I love and selling to the hospitality industry, where you find the warmest, most lovely humans on earth! I’m lucky to have the support of a phenomenal sales and production team and I might just have the best job there is.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There’s definitely been peaks and valleys.

Initially, most of my work time was spent educating. Coffee, of course, was sold in every restaurant, but fresh-roasted coffee was a brand new thing. My challenge was to teach the VALUE of custom, locally roasted coffee, so that I could then sell it. I guess you could call that a pioneering problem.

After four or so years, things were running smoothly and I got a little cocky. I decided that I had the wholesale coffee part figured out and thought it would be a good move to open a coffee bar. This presented another pioneering problem, as coffee bars were not yet part of really anyone’s daily routine. I had to get people into the coffee bar habit, which meant a lot of advertising and long hours until I had enough business to be able to afford staff to man the cafe. But staffing presented yet another hurdle. My wholesale business was going strong, aided by some favorable press that I received for the coffee bar. That same favorable press meant that the coffee bar was also starting to do well. I was actually running two businesses, both of which were deserving of my attention, while overseeing two very different sets of staff. In my Dad’s words, I was sitting on two pots with one a$$ (yes, we are from Texas). It was exhausting. That entire situation belongs in the “self-imposed problems” file.

Ultimately, I chose to sell the coffee bar and retain the wholesale business, moving it into a more appropriate warehouse and building up staff as growth allowed or demanded. Together, the business and I have survived one building fire, a burglary and one major flood but overall, life definitely normalized quite a bit. I stubbed my toe on a few more “self-imposed problems” but in those next years, the business took the shape of the wholesale coffee roasting and distribution business that it is today.

I’m sure that I will create more self-imposed problems moving forward but I also see bigger, external challenges coming. Climate change is one of those challenges. It impacts growing regions, crop quality, labor, shipping/supply chain and more. Hurricanes, for example, not only wreak havoc on growing regions, but ports and roads can be washed out, warehouses can be destroyed, labor displaced . . . Drought brings its own set of problems. Climate change aside, the growth of companies like Amazon will continue to change how people shop and eat. Those changes in buying habits impact our customers which, in turn, impact us.

Espressions Coffee Roastery – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Espressions roasts specialty coffees and blends custom iced teas for the wholesale/hospitality industry. Our clients include coffee bars, gourmet grocery stores, restaurants, and resorts — even rock stars! Basically, we sell to those that love and appreciate good coffee. Our offerings have expanded over the years to include distribution of coffee equipment and related products. We sell multiple lines of commercial espresso and coffee/tea equipment, syrups, sauces, frappes . . . most of the products that you see on counters and on menus when you walk into your favorite neighborhood coffee bar.

We definitely specialize in custom-blending. I’d say that 90% of our clients have their own house blends. In addition, we collaborate closely with our clients, helping them build their drink menus, work with them on recipes, support them with barista training. That level of involvement/assistance truly sets us apart. Plus, the quality of the lines that we distribute is also unmatched. Because I am part of the sales team and I get ultimate say in which products and equipment we carry, Espressions only represents the best lines available. I often say that I’m not interested in selling anything that requires an apology. Selling is easier when you only offer top tier.

As a company, I’m most proud of the reputation Espressions has as an honest, pleasant company to work with. We strive to be gracious at all times. We will never string a vendor out for payment and we’ll bend over backward to help a client in need. We’re fair and we’re nice.

Personally, I take great pride in the successes of former employees and the fact that many of them still think well enough of me to stay in touch. I’m (perhaps irrationally) proud of the people that they have become and I absolutely love hearing from them and about them.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I had an epiphany maybe three years back while at a trade show. I’ve attended the Specialty Coffee Conference almost every year since Espressions opened. It’s always afforded me the opportunity to meet with vendors and coffee brokers, shop for new products and packaging, and see whatever is new and exciting in the industry. It dawned on me that particular year, as I was walking the show floor, that I did not have a single appointment scheduled. Of course, there were lots of business acquaintances that I saw and said hello to and there was much to do and see, but there was absolutely nothing that I HAD to do. My team members were confident and so well-trained that I didn’t need to attend a single meeting; rather, they had everything handled and would report to me once we were back in AZ. The fact that they were so capable meant that I had done my job well. To me, that’s a measure of success.

There are certainly other markers, mostly number-related. It’s good to see a certain percentage of growth year-over-year and it’s great to pay bills and staff without stressing about money. I enjoy it when we hear from clients about their next projects as if working with Espressions is an “of course” instead of a “we’ll see”. And personally, because I tend to work a bit too much and can often stay at work a bit too late, success is when I make it to the gym after work at a decent time.

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