Interview: StageLine Coffee

Stageline Coffee is a small coffee roaster based out of New Market Maryland (population 656) sourcing and roasting exceptional speciality coffees.  With a passion for transparent sourcing and service the roaster is introducing coffee lovers to the value of living intentionally.

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Stageline to discuss their origins, history, brand and directions for 2020.

(This interview was conducted as part of a premium coffee subscription program called Kaldi in  2020 that is no longer in operation  due to COVID 19  Business Closures).

Kaldi:
You guys are in part of the US that isn't mainly, I guess, the pinnacle of what people think or associate with coffee but that being said - Tell us where you guys are from, what you are doing and how you got to where you guys are.

Stageline
Ha yeah Western Maryland and Maryland in general really are not known for specialty coffee. I was working originally at another roaster in Virginia; Wicked Goat for about a year and half. The owner dissolved the company and I decided to return to my hometown and to continue my passion for roasting coffee. At that point Stage Line came about.

Kaldi:
Did you take over the Wicked Goat equipment or did you guys just start your own company afterwards?

Stageline:
No. Yeah. When I was a Wicked Goat, we were roasting on a San Franciscan 25 pounder. And for me that was just way too much. And I learned from his mistakes that was just such a big investment and it wasn't being used. The money wasn't coming in for, to justify the big purchase. So I actually downsized and got a six pound San Franciscan.

Kaldi:
How did you guys find your current location?

Stageline:
So funny story - when I was at Wicked Goat, which was in a warehouse and part of a brewery.
We sold to a lady that worked there and whenever she got wind that the company was developing, she was like, "Listen, we have the perfect place for you to go. It's in New Market, Maryland," and I'm originally from Maryland. So I was all about it. And within a couple of months we got the place ready and then moved everything over.

Kaldi:
Great. Is that facility only roasting or do you have a training lab there or are you training wholesale?

Stageline:
Yeah, so it's mainly a roastery right now but on Sundays I've been opening up the doors to the public so they can come in and get a taste of the coffee and buy some bags direct and then see the roasting process. And a big thing that I like is the education piece is informing the consumer about like what they're purchasing and what we do. And it just, it's good for me because they keep coming back every Sunday to get more bags. So it's working, I guess.

Kaldi:
I think there's always a market for quality and if there's aren't many other roasters in your area, I think people are going to support you. Are you thinking about expanding the coffee shop program or anything like that or kind of going into retail?

Stageline:
Yeah, I mean I would, I'm always trying to get into some new places and just get my coffee out wherever. There is a building in front of the roastery and the goal is to turn that into a cafe, but it's not going to be a Stage Line cafe. It'll be under a different name, but we'll definitely serve the coffee there.

Kaldi:
So how are you guys sourcing your green beans? Are you direct or working with importers or how's that going?

Stageline:
Yeah, so direct is super hard, especially being as small as I am. Whenever I first started off, it was really complicated on how purchasing coffee even works. So importers have been really good friends. Places like InterAmerican Coffee and our friends right down the road in Baltimore, Cassa Coffee, working with them.

I also like to buy coffees that I know everything about it as I can, the background, the producers, the varietals, elevation, processing as much as I can. I won't even sample a coffee until I know exactly where it's coming from because some places just kind of put down it's from here and they don't really give producer their information.
So that doesn't seem right to me. If they don't know, then how am I supposed to tell their story?

Kaldi:
Are there any particular coffees you're really proud of right now?

Stageline:
Yes. We have one from Columbia that was sourced through a friend that runs Cosecha Traders and he's actually from Virginia and he reached out to me and he's going to small farmers in Colombia that are in conflict zones and sourcing their coffee. And all of the lots that he got this year were their first time ever importing to the US. So one coffee in particular I have is from this guy, Gilberto Salinas, and he only produced five bags and we were able to purchase all of his lot. I told him to keep producing and he has a buyer. So really establishing that relationship is awesome and is what I think coffee should be.

Kaldi:
How have people in your neighborhood or your area, are they okay with the higher price points for coffee or is that been a new kind of educational challenge?

Stageline:
Most of them are. I haven't had any complaints about the pricing and I always look around to see what other people are pricing theirs for and try to be competitive in the market, I guess. Retail is always like a weird beast. Same with wholesale really. But me knowing the type of quality that I'm putting out and the detail that goes into it on our side, it's really, I want them to feel good about what they're paying for.

Kaldi:
So how are you approaching roasting right now? What kind of flavor profiles are you trying? Are you aiming for something in particular or are you trying to meet the local kind of need or are more your tastes driving it?

Stageline:
Yeah, so the way I actually handle that is I have three blends. One kind of being a light to medium, one is like a middle of the road and another one is a more developed blend that traditional coffee drinkers will love. And the same with the medium roast. But for me personally, I love the single origins and bringing out the fruit characteristics in those. I tend to go on the lighter side of roast. And even the dark roast that I have is not extremely dark or oily like that. And then when people taste it they were like, they get that flavor that they want. And then I also know that the coffee was taken care of in the process.

Kaldi:
So what's next for you guys in the next five years? What's your goal? Expanding the roaster, what's your plan? You've got the coffee shop coming potentially.

Stageline:
Yeah, my goal is to definitely keep pursuing the roasting. I would like to graduate to a bigger roaster, maybe get another person or two on staff to help bag and deliver and then also pursue more accounts. And then for me, I eventually want to be able to travel to origin and actually work closer with importers and traders. So to get that experience because I personally love the green buying aspect and roasting obviously. But if I could get somebody to roast for me and I can really dial in the quality of coffee and make that a focus, I'd be really happy with that.

Kaldi:
Are there any other roasters you're particularly kind of excited about or interested in?

Stageline:
Oh absolutely. I'm always buying coffee. Two bags actually just came in the mail. One from the Spy House, one from Coffee Manufactory. I'm always buying coffee from Onyx. I think they'awesome.

They're like setting the standard. And I really like look up to them as what they're doing and try just strive for that and see how they're doing things. And Brandywine is another great one. And they're like state neighbors to us in Delaware. Yeah, there's a lot of good things happening in their coffee and some of the people who are doing a great job and I like to what they're putting out.

Kaldi:
Could you tell me a little bit about the Stage Line branding? Where did you come up with that and how that was developed?

Stageline:
So the building I was referring to earlier, that's going to be a cafe that eventually that runs along the Old National Pike. And that building used to be a stopping point for stage coaches on their travels. And inside the building it actually has the original, it says Stage Office Hotel. So they would stay there. And so we knew immediately we had to incorporate stage into the name and Stage Line is like a waiting point. So put that in there, put them together. It sounds good. And yeah, I think it's also good to pay homage to the history in the area. One of the blends that we have is Old National and then the two other blends kind of the play on words. The stagecoach era.

Kaldi:
Yeah its great to see that history reflected in the branding you developed which by the way is great. Is there anything else really exciting you know in coffee?

Stageline:
I would say new to the area is like, I'm a big fan of naturals and I love the processing methods. So whenever I see like an anaerobic, natural or anaerobic honey or honey process, I love to bring those in. I just had an anaerobic honey Ethiopia from KEPCO Coffee and that was incredible. Getting those coffees out there and educating the public on what it is. And then once they taste it, it's like nothing they've ever tasted before. And I like to showcase that. So it's definitely, I think it's new to the area and kind of just bringing specialties to the area.

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