Lots of hands touch the coffee beans from farm to your cup. One often overlooked position is the Coffee Roaster, who takes the green coffee and turns it brown for you (to keep it simple). So who is the guy behind the Red Roaster at Enderly? I spoke with Ryan to find out...
1. What do you love about Enderly Coffee, the product? Favorite? Food pairing?
My favorite product from Enderly changes on a weekly basis. As the production roaster, I have the responsibility to dial in the roasts and impact with how things turn out; I really love how taking the beans to new temperatures and times creates various unique flavors, these beans are so complex, yet simple. My job is to keep the beans consistent in production. But if I had to pick one bean, I would say that our Brazil is my favorite. And the Snickerdoodle that we make for Rhino Market & Deli is amazing and tastes so good with their breakfast burrito.
2. How'd you meet Tony & Becky?
I first met Tony and Becky at a gathering of about 10 friends at Dean and Deluca in South Park nearly 10 years ago.
3. What's your story? Who are you (that'll keep ya thinking, right?!)
I grew up in Michigan, like Tony and Becky, so that root is a bond that will never be broken between us.
My Clark Kent type day job is that I am the Program Manager for an organization here in Charlotte called Right Moves for Youth. So, I spend the days leading a team that assists middle and high school students with social and emotional support while helping them graduate high school with a plan for their future success, and I am the “Roast Master General” for Enderly in the evenings. But if I had to give one title that I am most proud of about who I am, my mind starts with being a dad. My daughters, Addison and Bailey are the apples of my eye. I take such pride in raising them to be compassionate, loving, and aware young ladies. And they love a good trip to the shop to see dad roast this amazing coffee.
4. What do you love about Enderly, the company?
This question is easy….the mission. I have always been drawn to businesses that invest in their communities, but Enderly doesn’t just give back to the community…it IS the community. It’s not about just throwing money at problems, it’s about cultivating relationships, over a great cup of coffee, and seeing transformation. That’s community.
5. Why should others love Enderly - what makes it different?
I love the coffee community in Charlotte. There are a lot of great people and coffees. From coffee roasters to coffee shops, the growing Charlotte Coffee Collective in Charlotte is truly incredible.
But Enderly is something different.
It is all about authentically loving this city and neighbors through a bag of beans. Every decision that is made is about cultivating strong relationships that will help to sustain positive impact on the Enderly Park neighborhood.
6. How'd you get into roasting? Give us the ins and outs - what you love and what's not so fun about roasting!
As a person who didn’t really get into the intricacies of coffee until a few years ago, I was always drawn to sitting down and having a great conversation across a table and the vehicle is typically a cup of coffee. Tony, our friend Jonathan, and I used to meet up at local coffee shops and we would sit down and they would have me taste different coffees and we would experience taste profiles and the uniqueness of different beans. Coffee tastings and an intro to roasting led to science lessons about temperatures, time frames, and pyrolytic reactions (nerd speak), and I was hooked. When Tony brought me into the shop one night and let me change raw green coffee beans into delicious smelling and tasting brown coffee beans, that was cool, and again, transformation was happening. See a theme? ;)
Roasting in itself is a sanctuary for me. I use that alone time in the shop to develop a great product but it also allows some much needed alone time to process my life. I can listen to podcasts, the music I love, as well as sometimes have an impromptu solo dance party ☺
7. What do you most look forward to - this can be personally or professionally?
I am really excited about the growth that we are experiencing in Charlotte. It seems like every day a new contract is signed with another business here in the city that will serve our coffee. But I am really looking forward to the opening of our own coffee shop this year. Being able to serve our coffee to people and letting them experience first hand the Enderly story has me really pumped up.
8. When you were 5, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was 5, I wanted to be an astronaut. I remember that our elementary school would all go into the gym and watch the space shuttle launches on television. Such a great memory.
9.. What's something not many people know about Tony/Enderly/Becky (you choose)?
Tony and Becky are two of the best parents that I know. They have so much creativity and passion for raising their daughters to be good citizens. It really is inspiring. In fact, if you walk into our shop, you will see small notes from their daughters posted up that remind you of how much they are loved and how much they love others.
10. What's something not many people know about you?
I am a huge fan of hip hop. Not that mumble rap garbage the kids listen to today (insert my grandpa’s voice), but that good stuff. Story tellers of yesterday and today. Also, most people don’t know that I have a terrible tattoo of a basketball on my right arm. Currently working with an artist to create a cover up for it. ☺
But on a serious note, most people don’t know that I was raised in poverty in Flint, Michigan and it was that upbringing that allowed me to develop a strong work ethic. Shout out to my Mom for leading our family through the struggle. Love you, Mom!
Shout out to you too, Ryan! If you have a question about roasting or want to applaud one of the current roasts, reach out to Ryan at - Ryan@enderlycoffee.com.
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