Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/659497
has a reputation for a singular fixation on coffee. Inside the tasting room, housed in a converted warehouse in the city's Central Eastside, you'll find an engraved wooden menu with just a handful of coffee drinks, each available with a rotating choice of espresso making it clear that they're proudly a one-trick—or make that single-origin—pony. This narrow focus means they're really picky with who they collaborate with. "Brewers do collaborations like this more often than most specialty roasters," Jon says. "At Coava, it's not very common for us—we're really all about coffee." When they do collaborate, they look for partners whose attention to their craft matches Coava's obsession with specialty coffee. "We like to align ourselves with brands we respect," he says. "When we do that, it's a win-win." In the last few years, Coava has worked with only a few local brands for beverage collaborations, including a coffee-infused vodka with a local distillery and a few one-off beers with Oregon breweries. Their most recent foray into beer involved a partnership with Pfriem Family Brewers in Hood River, Ore. Together, they created a golden coffee ale that's hop-forward and aromatic, and which subtly reveals the fruity nuances of the Kimama coffee from Kenya that they cold-brewed for this beer. The Coava-Pfriem partnership demonstrates how specialty-coffee roasters can work together with craft brewers to produce a coffee beer with integri- ty: through respectful collaboration and lots and lots of testing. Jon echoes the sentiments of Mike from Cuvée when he emphasizes the importance of brand alignment, and working with brands that share your passion and dedication to craft. Good Business Sense At this point, you may find yourself wondering why you would want to go through the hassle of working of working with a brewery. Sure, making great cold- brew beer sounds well and good, but what business benefits does it afford the specialty-coffee roaster? For many, the chance to share knowledge and resources with fellow craft-beverage pros makes the effort worthwhile, and boosts team morale and ener- gy by presenting a fun challenge. Other roasters, however, tout more tangible benefits. Nossa Familia Coffee, also based in Portland, Ore., has partnered with Lompoc Brewing and Deschutes Brewery to produce several one-off beers made with cold-brew coffee. While it's been a learning process, ranging from "pain in the ass" to "a lot of fun," as Karen Lickteig of Nossa Familia puts it, the work has been highly beneficial. "We've had a great time working with brewers to come up with these beer collaborations," she says, explaining that each offered a number of brand perks. "Both were definitely something that we sought out, mainly as a fun marketing and partnership opportunity. Plus, whenever we have events, it's great to have go-to beers like this that we can serve." In more dollar-and-cents terms, many roasters also see this collaboration as an opening to new mar- kets for their coffee, making for a winning business arrangement. Diane Aylsworth , director of cold brew at Stumptown, emphasizes that forging these kinds of beneficial relationships, like Stumptown's partnership with Rogue for the Cold Brew IPA, has long been a part of the company's mission. "These relationships with other craft companies have been a part of our culture from the very beginning," she says. "When we collaborate with brewers or distillers, we not only build great friendships, but we also tend to learn from each other along the way." Diane doesn't shy from discussing the monetary perks of having a few more wholesale accounts for the cold-brew coffee concentrate. "From a business standpoint, being able to extend our cold brew into an ingredient for other companies is a nice addition," she says, explaining that Stumptown takes pride in simplifying the process for brewers and, in turn, expands their business into new markets. Setting aside the benefits to the company's bottom line, however, Diane is quick to point out that the best outcome of all of this may be the most hedonistic: a few kegs of finished product that someone has to drink. Many roasters also see brewery collaborations as an opening to new markets for their coffee, making for a winning business arrangement. Nossa Familia Coff ee worked with the Pacifi c Northwest-based Deschutes Brewery for a one-off coff ee beer. 94 barista magazine