New Member Profile: Slow Joe Coffee Roasters
We recently got to do a digital interview with one of our newest members, John Danza, the founder of Slow Joe Coffee Roasters. We asked how they got their start, what keeps them brewing and how that incredible VW Bus got involved. Check it out!
What is the Heart of Slow Joe Coffee Roasters?
At the heart of Slow Joe Coffee is the desire to promote the simple life, where the appreciation of friends, family and community and the love of the outdoors are core values we strongly believe in. We think the image of the VW camper van expresses that well. My wife and I met in Costa Rica, where we lived off the grid in the rainforest for several years. The experience fundamentally changed who we are as people and gave us a unique appreciation of life, one that we try to maintain even now as we live in a much more chaotic place. Why coffee roasting? I love to cook, always have. There is an element of creativity in cooking that I get great joy from. Combine that with the satisfaction of watching people enjoy your work, and it’s a very fulfilling experience. Coffee roasting has all of those elements and selling our coffee pour-overs in the community gives me a chance to meet people and get feedback.
What Does Slow Joe Do Best?
When I started roasting coffee it struck me how fundamentally simple it is,
compared to cooking. If you have the basic understanding of the roaster and great coffee beans, you can produce a superior product. I say that, not to diminish the art of roasting, because there are plenty of subtle ways in which roasters can distinguish themselves, but as someone who loves to mix ingredients, cooking, my specialty is more in the creation of blends, then in the diversity of roasts and origins. Currently I’m working with three origins. I develop my blends through varying the roasting temperatures and times of each and then combining them to bring out the flavors I’m looking for.
What First Prompted You to Get Into Coffee Roasting?
I used to have a woodworking business and shared shop space with a group of carpenters. One of the guys who also shared the space had a coffee roaster in a side room. One day I stopped in to watch how it was done and became very interested at that point. When we began to consider our move to the Eugene/Springfield area, I decided it could be a business opportunity and began to get some formal coffee roasting instruction and experience.
Why Did You Choose to Open in Eugene/Springfield?
When we moved to the area, having a coffee roasting business was already in the forefront of my mind. I began developing my plan about two years ago and we opened our business in the fall of 2019.
What Are You Excited to Find Out About
Eugene/Springfield?
We came to Oregon, Eugene area specifically, because we got a good vibe from the community here. The people are like us, down to earth, enjoy the outdoors, strong sense of community. Watching the way the downtown Springfield area has evolved in such a short time, is inspiring and confirms our initial feelings about the area.
What Was the Moment you Decided to Make the VW Bus a Vital Part of the Business?
We have had the VW for years and camped in it a lot before we upgraded to a trailer. I think the conversation probably went something like this, “Should we sell the VW? I hate to part with it. Maybe there is some way we could use it.” I have to say the bus became a vital part of the business in a very natural way during the early days of our business plan. My wife is a marketing consultant and has been in brand development for years, so all credit goes to her in coming up with the name and using the image of the
bus for branding. Sometimes things just fall into place and I’d say that happened to a large degree with regards to the VW and Slow Joe Coffee Roasters.
Are You Personally a Big coffee Drinker? How Do You Like Your Coffee?
I wake up in the morning and the first thing I think of is coffee. I try to keep my coffee consumption to 2 cups a day, though I could easily drink more than that. I sometimes have an espresso in the mid-afternoon as my third cup. I really love espresso. The only problem I have with it is I want more. I was a ‘dark-roast-coffee-with-milk’ person for years, but since I started roasting I lean more towards medium or medium dark and I no longer add any cream at all. Since the coffee I drink is my product, I need to be able to taste all the flavors without any influence from creamer or sugar. I do enjoy espresso with a bit of sugar, but I always take the first sip without.
Big thanks to John for sharing his story with us and letting us get to know Slow Joe a little better! Check our their website where you can buy his roasted whole bean coffee!
