Meet Roaster Jon Robles from Red Bike Coffee
What is the story behind Red Bike Coffee?
It all came together when the two coffee enthusiasts Wael Amara and Jeff Cloar rode bikes together. They weren't satisfied with the coffee that was available in stores. Jeff and Wael started to roasting coffee at home and found that several of their friends wanted to drink their coffee as well! Eventually Wael trained to be a coffee roaster and he and Jeff opened Red Bike Coffee. Things went very well for a few years, but it grew to a point where they could no longer give the business the attention that it deserved. As of late last year the business was sold to Danny Winter who is a restaurateur and Frank Jones, who is an attorney. Together, Danny and Frank manage Red Bike Coffee. They have worked hard at consolidating and streamlining the company and have also given a much needed facelift to the Red Bike Coffee website. Frank, Danny, and Danny's wife Leah, have given Red Bike Coffee a welcome infusion of love and energy.
The Bean Roaster at Red Bike Coffee
Where can you find Red Bike Coffee in the area?
Red Bike Coffee can be found the shelves at the local Piggly Wiggly, Western Markets, and Whole Foods. Also coffee shops such Crestwood Coffee Company and The Abbey, use Red Bike Coffee exclusively. As we search out additional outlets for our coffees, we have established relationships with coffee shops in Sylacauga and Childersburg. We continue to focus on retail, but look for non-traditional outlets such as Camp McDowell, an Episcopalian-based camp that hosts several conferences a year. As they upgrade their coffee offerings, we are able to reach a larger audience for our coffees.
What is your position and how long have you been here at Red Bike?
I started here in 2018 and I work in the capacity of Roaster. I've been working in the restaurant industry for over 20 years here in Birmingham, in different capacities. My experience with coffee in the past was limited to drinking coffee! It has been quite a journey for me and I'm always learning something new, whether it's by making a mistake, doing research, listening to other roasters, or tasting someone else's coffee. It's a constant learning experience, for which I am grateful and I´m never bored!
Guro Midtsund and Jon Robles in front of some of the coffee products Red Bike Coffee offers
Where does Red Bike get the coffee beans from?
There are a lot of ways to buy coffee. One of the key things that the original owners did was finding a coffee broker that was sufficiently established to fulfill the requirements of our portfolio and to support growth. Coffee brokers purchase green coffee beans from all over the world. The broker we use is based in New York with two warehouse locations, one in Florida and and one in New York. Our green coffee beans are shipped to us from the Florida location. We look for coffees that have a high appeal in flavor and appearance, are of the highest quality, and ultimately, that we like to drink. Green coffee bean availability varies based on season, weather, and even social unrest. Our broker is also very good at suggesting coffees to us based on a specific profile, and whether that coffee has been successful elsewhere. We test samples of coffee often and yes, public opinion also plays a part in how we choose our coffee.
Coffee beans before they are roasted
Are there big differences between the coffee beans, depending on where in the world they´re from?
Excellent question! One of the managers, Danny, loves anything that comes from the African continent, in particular Tanzania Peaberry. I, on the other hand, lean towards anything that comes from the American continent. I particularly enjoy the Costa Rica Tarrazu. The biggest difference that I have found in coffee varieties other size, color and aroma, is the amount of moisture in the green coffee bean. African beans are typically pretty dry and they give you a very nutty, high flavor. The South American beans have more moisture. They have higher oil content and they have a more subtle flavor. They don't have the high-pitched trumpet notes, they have more of the bass and lower brass notes. Each single origin coffee works well on it's own and works well together in the Red Bike Coffee blends, like you´re pulling the orchestra together.
What are the main steps from when you receive the coffee beans until they´re ready to go out?
I conduct a weekly on-hand inventory and determine what my roasting needs are. Once turned on, the roaster is usually ready to roast in about 20-25 minutes. The initial temperature of the roaster is between 400 degrees and 450 degrees, and it takes between 16 and 18 minutes to complete the roast of a 12 pound batch. The end temperature varies for each variety of green coffee bean. Additionally, the end temperature also determines whether the roasted coffe is deemed light, medium or dark roast. Our roaster has a capacity of 12 pounds at a time. We lose an average of two pounds through the roasting process. When the roasting process is complete, the hot coffee beans dumped onto the cooling table where it is stirred and aerated. It takes about five minutes to go from 400 degrees to room temperature. Then it's deposited in a plastic bin with a tight lid and where it cures for 24 hours. While it´s resting we will get all the bags and labels ready for the coffee to be packed and shipped out.
Coffee beans before and after the roasting process.
So what are the next expansion steps for Red Bike?
At the moment we offer two house blends; Fast Blend Espresso and Red Bike Blend. We held a tasting yesterday, however, and chose one more that we will fine tune and make available for your enjoyment! We have cleaned up the website and added different payment methods so promoting our website is definitely our next big push. Frank is interested in offering our coffee on Etsy, so he's working hard to develop that part of the business. We are emphasizing direct sales as a means to develop continued close relationships with our customers. At the moment, Red Bike Coffee is becoming more efficient, leaner, and stronger as a company.
Any last words to the coffee lovers or the coffee curious out there?
I think the whole psychology of coffee is really cool. Coffee is a fascinating commodity. Why do we drink coffee, in what capacity, how often, how much, what kind of coffee and what do you put in it? The list goes on and on and on. I think so many of us have gotten away from what a cup of coffee really is. I would encourage folks to try a good quality coffee, then add as few ingredients as possible. A pleasant surprise might occur when you realize all the goodness you've been missing!
You can find Red Bike Coffee at Publix, Crestwood Coffee, and more.