Latest / Coffee People Podcast / Holiday Bonus Episode: Netty Taylor, Owner & Head Roaster of RayJen Coffee LLC

Transcript

Holiday Bonus Episode: Netty Taylor, Owner & Head Roaster of RayJen Coffee LLC · Coffee People Podcast

0:11
Hey, good morning everyone. Welcome to another very special
0:14
bonus. Holiday episode of the roast
0:16
West Coast coffee podcast. I'm Ryan Walt.
0:19
And this is the show where I bring you the stories of coffee
0:22
people. We're in between Seasons, six
0:25
and seven, but I recently had a talk with Nettie Taylor, she is
0:29
the owner and head. A roaster of rage and coffee in
0:31
bandhan Oregon while you're listening today.
0:34
Check out the new rage and merchandise on holiday gift
0:36
packs on region coffee.com. Today's conversation was a
0:40
special one. Not only was it Nettie's first
0:43
appearance on a podcast but our conversation was her first ever
0:47
video chat, which not only made me feel honored, but also
0:51
immediately made Nettie, one of my heroes.
0:54
I'm always inspired by people who are willing to step outside
0:57
their comfort zone and try something new.
1:00
And I'm always inspired by people who managed to limit
1:02
their engagement with the internet.
1:04
And I'm not just saying that I was inspired.
1:06
I've actually gotten pretty comfortable with my coffee
1:08
drinking experiences and it was this conversation with Nettie,
1:12
that motivated me to dip my toe, out into some deeper waters, if
1:16
she can do something new. So can I?
1:18
So I recently started ordering espressos to go with my standard
1:21
batch Brew black trips. Speaking of coffee, I hope that
1:25
you have a full mug of something to maybe a holiday.
1:28
Inspired hot. Peppermint mocha.
1:29
You or an espresso that just knocks your socks off, so that
1:33
you have something to listen to during this interview with
1:35
Nettie, Taylor of rage and coffee on the roast West Coast
1:39
coffee podcast. Any questions for me before we
1:56
get started, no, I've been listening to some of your
1:59
podcast. Sounds great.
2:01
Oh well thank you. People seem to like it and it
2:04
enables me to spend a lot of quality time in the closet here
2:08
where I recorded the show. Nice nutty, welcome to the
2:14
podcast. I'm really glad you're here.
2:17
I'm hoping the first thing we do for The audience is just, if you
2:20
could say your name and the name of your company and where it's
2:23
located, and what your role is at the company.
2:28
Sure, my name is Niki. Taylor with Ragin coffee
2:31
company, located in beautiful banded, by the Sea Oregon.
2:36
And I pretty much do everything at the company.
2:39
Haven, clean the bathroom, so, you know, packaging machine,
2:43
roasting anything. My employees do, I can do so,
2:48
and Just to clarify. That means you saw that sounds
2:51
like an owner to me. Yeah I am the owner, okay.
2:56
I should let you know, right away.
2:58
I've been to Campton Bandon. I've been to band in a few times
3:01
and I really love kind of that area of Oregon along the coast.
3:06
So I'm a little bit of a homer for for that area that you're
3:09
in. So I'm excited to be talking to
3:10
you today. Yeah, it's a great place to be.
3:13
I saw my first orca whale in bandhan, so I'm very partial to
3:17
it. I talk about it all.
3:18
Time. Nice.
3:20
You are not the first owner of rage and I'm wondering if you
3:24
could tell us kind of what the history of the company is, Sure
3:28
my parents started in about 1995.
3:32
I was still in high school and it stayed in Albuquerque New
3:34
Mexico. And they went ahead and went on
3:37
this Venture and opened a small coffee cart inside.
3:42
A really tiny little building down in Old Town and couple
3:46
years after that, they moved to a building across the street,
3:49
which is now Banning Coffee Cafe.
3:51
And we sold that I'll probably hash 2007 and we're able to move
4:00
into the large roasting facility where it now and just kind of
4:04
grown from their big help banded Golf Resort.
4:08
They were nice account to have to help us just go over to
4:12
wholesale. We had another Ragin copy down
4:15
in Crescent City, but at the same time someone offered us the
4:19
Our Cafe and Old Town, someone else offered us to buy the cafe
4:23
and Crescent City. So Worked out really great.
4:27
And we're able to continue roasting in the cafe until our
4:29
building was completed. So that work for a nice
4:33
transition to just go on home. So, yeah.
4:37
So you started as a retail location and you have, and there
4:41
was a cart with the company with your parents conveniently named
4:44
Ray, and Jenna I believe. Yeah.
4:48
And so we know where the name came from and you've sense,
4:51
transition to wholesale, when did you get started in the
4:54
business? Kind of, I'm assuming you worked
4:56
for your parents growing up. It wasn't just overnight.
4:59
I did. Yeah.
5:01
How did you work your way up to where you are now is the owner.
5:04
What made that decision you decided to keep pursuing.
5:08
Not everybody wants to work with their parents and continue that
5:11
Legacy. So right originally in
5:14
Albuquerque, we had a place called Jennifer's cookie jar.
5:16
My mom was a baker and did baked goods and we did the Balloon
5:21
Fiesta down there and they saw how much the coffee cart was
5:25
Playing. And they thought, we love
5:26
coffee. Let's go ahead and pursue
5:28
coffee. My parents are both from the
5:31
postal post office background. So they moved all over the place
5:34
all the time. They decided to move up to
5:37
Winston, Oregon and Roseburg area.
5:40
And my mom worked at the post office there, and my dad just
5:44
kept coming over to the coast loving it crabbing fishing and
5:48
he's like, we gotta open a place here.
5:50
So he just started that and then I can't, that was a 95.
5:55
Five. I came in on board and 2003.
5:59
I kind of lived in a bad neighborhood.
6:01
I had a four year old at the time and about this isn't really
6:07
where I want to raise my kids. So came to abandon loved it
6:11
decided, this is a nice small town atmosphere, everyone
6:15
watches out for your kids. And so, we made the big move up
6:19
here. Me and my husband, my son and
6:22
decided this is where we're going to stay.
6:24
We're not going to move. I'm from school anywhere.
6:26
And so the pork get started, roasting coffee at about 8 years
6:30
old, because we were always at work.
6:36
When did you phase into the ownership part?
6:38
And, and take over that part of the business from your parents?
6:42
Oh, gosh. I think it's been about four
6:44
years now. 2018, 2019, February, or no, April 1st of 2019.
6:52
I think it was So the easiest for years of the business, I'm
6:56
assuming with the coronavirus in the pandemic.
6:59
Yeah. Right.
6:59
What a great time to buy a business?
7:01
How did that transition work for you and then going into the
7:05
pandemic? Well, how did that impact
7:06
region? LLC.
7:09
I have heard from a lot of different Coffee Roasters that.
7:12
There were some silver. Linings on the business side of
7:14
things during that time because everybody was drinking coffee
7:18
and buying coffee for home. But as a wholesaler, I would
7:21
assume a lot of your clients. Our business clients, It's yes.
7:26
And so most things around here, close down of course.
7:29
And the golf course, still remained open because they could
7:33
socially distance without a problem.
7:35
They're outside playing golf. So that worked out.
7:38
I still have that going for me. I move most of my stuff to
7:41
grocery stores because people were drinking at home.
7:45
We have a local market here in town that sells a lot of coffee
7:48
and to this day still does so that worked out really good for
7:52
me. But Restaurants, it was a
7:55
struggle and luckily I saved money and I was able to get
7:59
through the few months that were questionable and but maybe
8:03
really look deep inside and say, is this something you want to
8:06
do? You know I thought a don't want
8:09
to work for anyone else. I really like what I do and be I
8:13
love coffee and that would be an expensive habit if I didn't work
8:17
here. So I decided to stick it out.
8:22
That is true especially If you're drinking good coffee
8:25
before you did, this was there the potential for another path.
8:30
I think I read somewhere that you were a Harley-Davidson
8:32
mechanic at one point. Yeah, I did that for about three
8:35
years. I love bikes, that's my love of
8:39
life, but I don't really enjoy writing here in Oregon that much
8:43
down in New Mexico. It's all desert open.
8:46
You can see everything here. Is everything's a guardrail and
8:51
animals, Wildlife. Dear of course, cause So we
8:54
getting hit, the wind is just not my favorite.
8:58
So I kind of outgrew it you know kind of moved on and thought
9:02
that this is a better route to take and I'm happy.
9:05
I did I actually used to ride motorcycles when I was in the
9:08
Midwest and loved it and since moving to California it started
9:12
to phase out of my life. I actually don't even own a bike
9:15
right now because I just don't enjoy.
9:17
It is a lot more stressful. There seems to just be a lot
9:19
more going on on the roads and it's harder to to have that.
9:24
Of experience. I was having back home.
9:26
You mentioned. Bandon Oregon being a small
9:28
community. Obviously, I've mentioned I've
9:30
been a tourist there, a few times.
9:32
How have they embraced you? I know there's another coffee
9:35
shop in the old town. Kind of knew the brewery there.
9:38
Where do people find your coffee?
9:40
I mean, are you just in the restaurants?
9:42
Do you do people order your coffee for home and then how
9:45
does the experience of being abandoned impact?
9:47
What you do? I mean do you expand outside of
9:50
that region? Oh yeah, definitely I ship
9:53
coffee like to man. We have a really good friend of
9:57
the family. That is a coffee farmer's
10:00
daughter. That operates two restaurants in
10:03
Manhattan and we sell her her family's coffee.
10:07
So we're really proud of that. I'm like my parents had been to
10:10
her family's farm. And then a guy from here in town
10:14
is a Manhattan, real estate agent and he married her and we
10:19
didn't know the connection until years down the road.
10:21
And we're like, wow, this is This is such a small world and
10:26
so we're really proud to sell Columbia clock to Lou.
10:29
And we Market that it's so, you know, we know the farmers, so
10:35
family, friends of ours, we're proud to sell their coffee.
10:39
You roast on Diedrich, roasting machines, I believe.
10:42
And I saw the you attended the roasting School in Idaho.
10:45
The teacher, grossing School. How did that come about?
10:47
And I don't know that I've ever spoken to anyone.
10:49
Who went to that school? What is that?
10:52
That learning experience. Like, I mean, how do you just
10:55
walk in on day one and they assume you do nothing?
10:57
Or is it, you know, what is that training program?
11:00
Like well, I actually went to see our roaster being built
11:03
because we roasted on a 6-pound Primo at the time.
11:07
I wanted to check it out. I was happy that it was made in
11:09
the United States and they just started teaching us all about
11:13
profiling and I thought, I knew everything.
11:16
I knew nothing. You know, one of those type of
11:19
deals. I was young.
11:21
It just basically starts out with them teaching you how to
11:24
profile on a Dietrich and make sure that your times and
11:26
temperatures are where you want them to be, and what you can do
11:29
to change the flavor of coffees, and they have really good
11:33
service tax. I just recently bought my
11:35
second, I are 12 due to the pandemic.
11:39
I can't get parts as readily and I thought, well, I want one that
11:43
I can swap parts with you know, but they totally changed
11:47
upgraded renewed everything. So the parts might not
11:50
intermingle. Things have changed from like a
11:53
six inch. Smokes that per se to an 8 inch.
11:56
So that's a new learning curve, bigger, fan more air intake.
12:01
It's a constant learning experience on the.
12:03
I mean, it's a manufacturing operation which I think a lot of
12:07
people don't realize when they are thinking about coffee as a
12:10
romantic idea, to get into your working on a production facility
12:15
with your roasting. I was just reading a little bit
12:17
on your website about the coffee.
12:20
Is you? So, what is it?
12:22
That makes a coffee. How do you decide I guess?
12:25
Is the question what coffees are good enough for you to work with
12:29
or that you would like to sell? I know that tags like organic or
12:33
rainforest Alliance have been something you've done in the
12:35
past. How do you go about choosing
12:37
which coffees that you're working with?
12:39
I try to mimic what my dad started because he had such a
12:43
good thing going. I don't want to change too much
12:46
recently. I've brought in a couple of new
12:49
coffees that I don't really have a place to sell to.
12:52
Luckily, I know enough people that drink.
12:54
Coffee's, you know, I can if I don't care for it, I can get rid
12:58
of it but we brought in done. Jamaican Blue Mountain for the
13:01
first time this year. I've never had it before.
13:04
I was really excited today to roast it.
13:06
We're going to go ahead and cut it tomorrow and hopefully it's
13:10
awesome because it's pricey. So, but definitely try to just
13:16
stick with what I've always done.
13:18
I order, basically, from the same people every year have
13:22
about six, seven, People, I deal with on the importing side and I
13:27
would love to be an importer someday but I'm just not quite
13:31
there that I don't have the people.
13:34
There's not enough people in my area that home roast or have a
13:37
roasting operation to really get into selling 300 bags in a year.
13:42
I can probably I can almost go through that myself, but I'd
13:47
really like to sell the other people too.
13:49
So I'm always open for local Roasters.
13:51
Come in, I had one guy bring in It Bun, bad grinder and asked me
13:56
to fix it. So I always am open for other
13:59
Roasters to come in and work on their equipment, you know, share
14:03
ideas. They always joke and say, oh, my
14:06
wife says, don't tell any of our Trade Secrets and I said, that's
14:09
why I knew no. You don't have to do anything,
14:11
but it's kind of fun. A pandemic did take out a few
14:14
people that, like, major organic accounts.
14:17
You were talking about the organic.
14:20
I'm no longer organic certified but I still follow the same
14:24
path. Actresses as I would be.
14:26
So I do sell organic coffee, but it's not my main focus, but I
14:30
love to offer to people who are looking for that.
14:33
So, basically the rainforest Alliance is a big deal to us,
14:37
you know, we don't want all of our natural resources cut down.
14:41
We want him to still produce coffee, be environmentally
14:45
friendly as they possibly can and I try not to buy anything
14:48
that I know is made with chemicals.
14:51
So, why the rainforest Alliance obviously, It's good for the
14:56
environment. But why is it important to you?
15:00
It's a definitely a good marketing tool and also I don't
15:05
want to see Devastation of them, just clearing the land and you
15:09
know I really like to work with people who care about where
15:12
they're buying coffee from like that's why I brought in a bag of
15:15
konga. Nice coffee.
15:17
And I did that strictly to you know, help their community
15:21
members get water resources. Get education on planting the
15:26
coffee, taking care of it, harvesting it, they times
15:29
anyone's trying to make their world better.
15:33
I'm all-in and I think rainforest Alliance really
15:36
sticks with that. You've been continuing.
15:39
You said what? What?
15:41
Your father, and mom, and Mom started.
15:43
How was working with family and do they still work with you now,
15:47
even though you're the owner? Yeah, I'm computer challenge.
15:50
So, I call my mom and all the time and have her help me with
15:53
labels. You know, designing labels is
15:56
really hard for me. So I would rather be working at
16:01
fixing stuff then doing the computer.
16:04
So I definitely call my mom in for that stuff tax purposes.
16:08
I call her in for that they have a motor home and they prefer to
16:11
go hang out. They like ham radio and doing
16:15
stuff like that. So they have a group of friends,
16:18
they hang out with. So I can't hardly ever get, like
16:21
my dad. He, you know, unless I have a
16:23
really great Coffee brewed up. You don't even set foot in the
16:27
place, but they support me 100% but they enjoy retirement as
16:31
well. Sure.
16:33
Well you mentioned that your son started roasting when he was
16:36
like eight years old, is there the potential that he's going to
16:39
continue on that path with you? Yeah, that kid he moved up to
16:43
Portland to roast for Farmers Brothers.
16:45
I don't know. I kind of think he's a traitor.
16:51
No, he now teaches me things about All they do things that
16:55
farmers brothers and he recently is just left to go to, Yo cream.
17:00
So, he's a warehouse worker at yo, cream up there.
17:03
Then he has a new baby a year and 3 months old.
17:07
So I am a grandma now so that really motivates me to continue
17:12
this so that someday I can hand it down to either him or her
17:17
depending on if he's interested or not and they are looking to
17:20
move back to abandon what she gets to be about 4 years old or
17:24
so. So, so that way, they can raise
17:26
her and a nice small town environment not have to worry
17:29
about everything. Yeah, similar story to you.
17:33
Yeah, no, it's like history repeating itself.
17:38
What is something that you've learned over the last couple of
17:41
years? Since you've taken over that
17:42
surprised you about about the job, maybe you weren't
17:45
expecting. You know, you mentioned earlier
17:47
that when you were young, you thought you knew everything.
17:48
But I think we, we all kind of think, we know everything, at
17:51
whatever stage, we're at until we realize that We have it.
17:54
Is there something that stood out that you learned over the
17:57
past few years that you could share?
17:59
I'm surviving the pandemic, that was amazing and I felt pretty
18:02
good about coming out on the other side of that that taught
18:06
me a lot that you can't rely on just certain accounts you have
18:09
to, you know, go find new things and it just kind of pushed me to
18:15
do better and want to do better and Keep going every day on that
18:21
note. Is there anything new, or is
18:23
there anything coming up for rage and that that you're
18:26
looking forward to anything different from what you've been
18:28
doing? Well today was this podcast.
18:31
I've never even done zooming in before, so it's great when you
18:37
mention that I was just so shocked, especially after the
18:40
past few years of the pandemic. I am on a zoom or a video chat
18:44
almost every day. So to meet someone who hasn't
18:46
done, that was I was very Envious of you in that regard.
18:50
Sorry. I'm embarrassed to be honest.
18:54
No, no, I think it's fantastic. The last question I have for
18:58
you, which I hope is an easy one is, if you are out in the world,
19:02
and you're going to order a cup of coffee or you stop into a
19:05
coffee shop. What do you drink for yourself?
19:08
Oh gosh. It's been so long since I've had
19:10
coffee out, when we had our coffee shop every day.
19:13
I drink iced vanilla bravais. I just love them and anymore.
19:18
Drink drip coffee. So, probably order drip coffee
19:21
and see what they have to offer that aspect.
19:26
It's hard to go out and have copies at places when I'm stuck
19:29
here all the time. Drinking coffee.
19:32
I don't think of it. I usually go and order a Pepsi.
19:34
You know, I really appreciate that.
19:37
You were, you took the time one to talk to me and to that, you
19:41
took a chance to do something new today with the podcast.
19:45
And the video chat. Is there anything else that
19:47
you'd like to share it all? About rage n or just about
19:50
coffee in general today, before we go?
19:52
Yeah, well, we are just copied lovers and we loved meeting
19:55
other coffee lovers and sharing stories about coffee.
19:59
Pretty much coffee as life, and we just enjoy the whole
20:04
atmosphere everything around it. I got a great chance to go to
20:08
Peru one time. And I got to see how hard people
20:10
work to produce our coffee. And I want to keep that going,
20:14
you know, very cool. Well, many thank you so much for
20:18
being On the show and the next time I'm in Bandon I'll I'll try
20:22
to find you and have a cup of coffee with you.
20:24
Oh please do definitely come on. By will be here.
20:40
Okay, to recap, Nettie comes from a family of entrepreneurs,
20:45
her parents Ray and Jen founded. The company in band in Oregon
20:49
and now her son who's been roasting practically since he
20:51
was just a little kid, is out working in the industry as well.
20:55
And maybe there's a future where he comes home and works with
20:58
Nary a Trace Age and coffee during today's interview.
21:01
Nettie, said two things that really stuck with me.
21:04
The first quote, I thought I knew everything, I knew nothing
21:08
and quote, she said in reference to her experience at the
21:11
Diedrich roasting school and I immediately noted it as being
21:15
the story of my life. To any time you start something
21:18
new, be it a business or writing a book.
21:20
You start with a base of knowledge that most often feels
21:23
like enough. it's only when you're in it, flailing around
21:27
that you realize you only had a sliver of the knowledge you'd
21:30
need That sounds scary, and it is, but with a little flip of
21:35
perspective, it is also a good way to remind yourself that the
21:38
doing is just as important as the planning plans are
21:42
important, but they can change. And being able to adapt learn
21:45
and adapt again, is a skill that can apply to every aspect of
21:49
life. Don't be afraid to go forth,
21:51
survive adapt and Thrive. I feel like I fell into a little
21:55
bit of a Michael Scott Circle there.
21:57
I'm okay with it. The second thing that he said
22:00
was quote, Anytime somebody is trying to make their world
22:03
better, I'm all in and quote it's a very cool way to think
22:07
about life and it is a reflection of how rage and
22:10
coffee is run with their effort to support the rainforest
22:13
Alliance operate, organically, regardless of certification.
22:17
And by offering an open invite to other Central Oregon coast
22:20
Coffee, Roasters to visit the facility.
22:23
Finally, Nettie said the breve was the type of coffee.
22:26
She would most likely order if she could ever get out of the
22:28
Roasterie. I don't know that breve is our
22:30
as commonly There are menus at most shops anymore, but if you
22:34
are listening and wondering what it was, a breve is similar to a
22:37
latte with an espresso base. But instead of milk, a breve is
22:41
topped with steamed half and half, and a layer of milk foam.
22:45
Half-and-half has more fat than milk which leads to a thicker
22:48
richer coffee drink. I want to thank Nettie for
22:51
taking a chance and joining me on this podcast and remind you
22:54
to head to raging coffee.com to buy coffee or check out their
22:57
new merchandise. I'll be sure to link to that in
23:00
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westcoast.com. You can choose Shows.
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And which columns you want to receive more new episodes of the
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roast West Coast coffee podcast and our new podcast show.
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Coffee smarter, which focuses on making better cups of coffee at
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home will start dropping in January, 20, 23.
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But before I go, today, I also got to thank my favorite
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industry Partners. Shout out to Cafe litter, most
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your coffee company. Steady-state coffee, roasting
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Camp, Coffee Company, coffee cycle, roasting ignite, Coffee
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Company. Maria coffee.
24:28
Cape Horn coffee, importers zoom bar, coffee and tea, and Ascend
24:33
Coffee Roasters. I've added links to these
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Partners in the show notes in each newsletter, post.
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And even on the front of roast westcoast.com, if you're still
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looking for holiday gifts or an indie business to support, put
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them at the top of your list. Thank you.
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To everyone out there listening, supporting and sharing the show,
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this episode of the roast West Coast coffee podcast is was has
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been written produced and recorded by Amy Ryan Walt, I
25:00
hope that this episode is found you happy healthy and with at
25:04
least enough sanity to make it through the day, always tip your
25:08
Baristas and be sure to drink. Good coffee.
25:40
Hey there podcast. Listeners and friends.
25:43
Did you know that this show is a listener and reader supported
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creative effort? It's true.
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In fact I'm often creating it while my neighbor is using a
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chop saw to build something or the train is going in the
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background. It takes a lot of work, which is
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why I'm asking. If you're out there enjoying
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this content, please sign up for one of the paid subscriptions.
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There are a bunch of crazy. Cool people.
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Who already do that, on roast westcoast.com, the podcast is
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always free. But as the newsletter grows,
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there are more and more paid subscription benefits and damned
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if we don't appreciate the support that comes every time.
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A new name shows up at the top of that subscriber rule.
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Thank you for considering. Thank you for listening and
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thank you for sharing the roast West Coast coffee podcast.