Firelands Coffee Co. is a place where they’re redefining the coffee experience through creativity and sustainability. Many people are drawn in by the beauty of a gorgeously poured latte, but Collin Bedard, director of operations, was more intrigued by the mechanics of brewing and the opportunity to be more sustainable. Ultimately, Bedard put processes in place that utilize Cambro products to help support their green initiatives.
What inspired you to get into foodservice?
“I grew up surrounded by musically and artistically creative people that ultimately landed my young self a barista gig. Most people are drawn in by the beauty of latte art, but I was obsessed with the mechanics behind brewing and finding ways to make the bar a more sustainable practice.”
What do you love about your business?
“The thing I love the most about Firelands Coffee Co. is the relationships it has allowed us to foster across all aspects of the coffee supply chain. From origin, to the roasting facility, to all of our partners in the cafe and markets, we have the honor of fostering the hard work done all along the value chain.”
What’s the most interesting thing to happen to your business?
“The coolest experience we’ve had was the opportunity to brew up ‘campfire coffee’ for a weekend-long Axe Camp–totally off-grid. With a hand grinder and a percolator, we brewed up for a bunch of folks chopping wood, throwing axes and recharging by the fire. It was quite the treat.”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?
“When we decided to launch our roasting business, we wanted to focus on building as sustainable of a business as possible. From our all-electric roaster to our 100% compostable packaging and reusable containers, we wanted to make coffee that has an impact and to help move the coffee industry in a more sustainable and regenerative direction.”
Which Cambro products help make your business work?
“Cambro has allowed us to reduce single use coffee bags with our local partners by using CamSquares® as a replacement. We use Poly Rounds to weigh out green coffee before it heads into the roaster and to blend coffees after roasting.
All of our roasted inventory and packing supplies live on our Cambro shelving, which we love for how quick it is to adjust shelf heights and the simple cleaning process of removing the shelf plates and tossing them in the dish pit.
And of course, any time we are traveling with brewed coffee to share, Camtainers are our go-to, specifically the 250LCD!”
About Firelands Coffee Co.
Location: Norwalk, Ohio
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