February 9th, 2012
Roast turned 8 this past February! A lot has changed since we began. Let’s talk a little about 2011 and what to expect this coming year!
2011 was a mixed year for Roast. We accomplished a lot of work, but we suffered our first down year in seven years of operations.
2011 began with the lighting installation from the UW-M architecture department. A graduate level class approached Roast about designing, building, and installing a lighting project in the café. Armed with a budget, they got to work. In the end, what they created dramatically improved the aesthetics of the café! Not to mention, the installation created international buzz. Pictures appeared in architecture trade journals. Professors arrived from famed schools to critique the installation. In all aspects, it was a home run.
The installation set the stage for the café remodel. We reworked the condiment table, seating area, and added the orange ‘L’s on the back wall. Jeremiah updated our logo and we began the Roast rebranding.
Overall, the economy suffered and overall sales were down in the café. In order to grow, Roast went mobile. We built the Roast Coffee Kiosk and traveled to outdoor events and festivals to serve coffee and espresso drinks. We connected with Harley-Davidson and traveled to West Virginia, Milwaukee, and Arkansas for dealer shows. We traveled to Janesville, WI to a National Water Ski Show Tournament. It was a year of intensity to developing a mobile set-up, but we were able to secure some big events that helped break way to a profitable new venture.
We also launched Roast Coffee Catering. Roast Coffee Catering is a full service espresso bar catering company. This was an offshoot of Roast Coffee Kiosk. We took our mobile expertise indoors to focus on weddings, corporate events, holiday partied, and fundraisers. Our official launch was in Madison at the Overture Center this past November where it became a smashing success.
Most recently, Roast took more steps to tighten the brand. During the week of Christmas to New Years, we installed much-needed café lighting over each table. We painted a lot of the interior and repositioned the menu boards. We moved the bakery to a new spot and dedicated an area for coffee-by-the-pound. We also moved the pour-over bar to a new area. It was a big job in a short window of time, but we accomplished a lot because of the help of some amazing people.
If you haven’t noticed, Roast built and installed new outdoor signs. They are located on both the Locust and Maryland side of the building. One more sign needs to be built for the back of the building. Maybe we’ll get an electrician to put some lights on the signs. Pretty fancy, don’t you think?
Looking ahead to 2012, we are making some changes operationally. Roast made the commitment to add more staff members during the morning rush. We are shortening our hours to 6:30am-6pm Monday-Friday and 8pm-6pm Saturday and Sunday.
Most exciting, we are elevating our coffee program in the café. We are implementing Guest Coffee & Espresso from roasters around the country. This will follow a similar model to our rotating art program where we will have a guest roaster for each month. This will give our customers a way to experience different coffees roasted by the top roasters around the country. Every roaster has a stylistic interpretation of the coffee. Much like wine, coffee has many different characterizes that are reveled when coffees are paired side by side.
Roast will be the only café in Milwaukee to implement this type of program! It’s exciting and fresh. It’s just one more way Roast is differentiating itself from the other cafés .
So come check us out if you haven’t lately! We will be excited to serve you some great coffee!
June 9th, 2011
Roast Coffee Company is looking for THREE rock star baristas for traveling event and festal work. This is the ultimate summer barista position! You will be traveling to events and festivals around Wisconsin to serve exceptional coffee. You will be responsible to travel to the event, set up the kiosk, work the event, and pack up at the end of the night. This position will require you to travel to the event, work long hours, in summer weather, at different locations, and on the weekends. It will be an intense position, but one that will be extremely fun!
You’re an ideal candidate if…
…you currently work or have worked in a coffee shop. You love the interaction with customers, creating relationships, and talking all things coffee
…You have a high level of energy. You get excited for the opportunity to ensure that every customer will be blown away with our coffee
…You have a strong willingness to learn and quickly adapt to change
…You are able to perform under pressure and thrive in fast-paced environments. You are efficient and never show your cage is rattled
Job Requirements:
You MUST have a vehicle that is reliable and has a hitch
You must be able to work on the weekends and long hours
You must have barista experience
First event will take place on June 18th. You will be trained the Roast way to make drinks prior to the first event. Pay is dependent on experience and you will be reimbursed for mileage.
If you believe you are the person that fits this description, please email your resume with the subject line ‘Hitched Barista’ to ryan (at) roastcoffeecompany (dot) com. You will not be considered if you email does not contain this subject line.
March 9th, 2011
Over the past few months, we’ve made a lot of donations to organizations located in our neighborhood. We’re proud of the work that these organizations do and we like to help when we can. We don’t donate to every organization or event that crosses our desk…partly because of time, but mostly because our budget. Here’s a partial list of some of the orgs we’ve donated to:
UWM Center for Urban Initiatives and Research
Relevant Instruction for Successful Employment
UWM Department of Recruitment & Outreach
UWM Student Affairs
Pull Start Diesel Trivia Team
City Year Milwaukee Teacher Appreciation
MPS Hartford University School for Urban Exploration
UWM Mortar Board
UWM Engineering Without Borders
American Institute of Architectural Students
We are always willing to help your organization out. If your organization is in need of a donation, drop us a letter and we’ll see what we can do.
January 24th, 2011
Roast is back to regular hours!
M-F 6:30am-9:00pm
Sat-Sun 8:00am-9:00pm
Have a good first day of school
January 4th, 2011
Come in and check out the new installation! Looks pretty spectacular, thanks to the Arch. Grad Students!
DOUBLE PUNCH JANUARY TOO!
Also, hours from Jan. 3rd – Jan. 23rd will be as follows:
Mon-Thurs: 6:30am-8pm
Fri: 6:30am-5pm
Sat-Sun: 8am-5pm
Just until UW-Milwaukee gets school started up again for the spring semester. Hope to see you all soon and often!
December 21st, 2010
Hours for the holiday week will be as follows:
Dec. 23rd 6:30am-5pm
Dec. 24th-Jan. 2nd - CLOSED FOR REMODELING
Jan. 3rd – 6:30am Reopen!
Come check us out after the new year to experience the new look of Roast! Be ready to be amazed.
December 15th, 2010
Come on in and take a break from studying to give your life some much needed culture and listen to some beautiful tunes!
December 15th, 2010
If you’ve heard the buzz, Roast is getting a new ceiling installation! It’s a big deal…a very big deal!
Grit Tank, a UWM graduate level architectural class, has been designing and building a permanent installation to go around the bar in the cafe. It’s cool, super impressive, and looks amazing! They have been putting a tremendous amount of time and energy into this project and it shows.
Their work has gained some unbelievable exposure for the UWM architecture program, the school, themselves, and Roast. They’ve had reviews with the who’s who of the architectural world. On December 16, a panel of judges is being flown in from various cities throughout the US to judge them. All because of the work they are doing for Roast!
We’re planning our own get-down to celebrate the installation. Roast will be closed December 24-January 3 so that we can do the installation. During that time, we’re doing some additional work to the café to complement the new installations.
If you want to get a sneak peak, you can check it out through December 26 at BYO Studio. They are located at:
2246 S Kinnickinnic Ave
MKE, WI 53207
Roast is going BIG in 2011!
December 7th, 2010
Yesterday, we shared with you gifts under $15.00. Today, it’s all about gifts under $25.00. We have 3 holiday gift boxes worth talking about.
First is the Sustainability Sampler. Sustainability is all the rage. This box includes coffees that are direct trade and direct sourced…they can all be traced back to the farm. The coffees are:
El Salvador Finca San Jose
Organic Sumatra Lintong Dolok Sanggul
Nicarargua Los Milagros
Colombia Reserva Del Diablo
Make someone happy for $22.95!
Second is the Holiday Sampler. This includes some top notch coffees from award winning farms.
Guatemala Finca El Injerto – Won numerous ‘Best Coffee Awards’
Costa Rica Brumas Del Zurqui – Best Coffee in all of Costa Rica in 2006.
Rwanda Coopac Coop – ‘Cup of Excellence’ winner
Holiday Blend (Rwanda & Nicaragua) – Perfectly balanced to create a light-body with lingering dark notes and hints of caramel and spice
Spread the love for $22.95
The last is the Roast Home Sampler. Enjoy a pound of your favorite Roast coffee and two diner mugs. Perfect for catching up with friends or family over the holiday. Priced right at $21.95.
If you can’t decide, buy a $25.00 gift card…it’s sure to make someone happy!
December 6th, 2010
‘Tis the season and we have your coffee related gifts for under $15, 25, and 50. Check out these gifts for under $15.00!
Support Your Local Coffee Shop – $14.95
Roast mug and $10.00 Gift Card
Roast Trio – $12.95
Roast mug, chocolate covered espresso beans, and
frac pack of Holiday Blend
Roast Duo – $10.95
Roast mug and chocolate covered espresso beans
Roast T-Shirt – $10.95
Holiday Special! After the holiday’s, they will be $12.95
$10.00 Roast Gift Card
Great gifts for your roomies, co-workers, or family!
