Honestly Good Coffee

expertly slow-roasted beans at Honest Roast

Ally Kann, photos by Andrea Paulseth

IN YOUR FACE COFFEE. Matt Schwahn, owner of Honest Roast Coffee Co., housed in Banbury Place, is on a mission to bring quality Joe he roasts himself to the Chippewa Valley because life’s too short for bad coffee.
IN YOUR FACE COFFEE. Matt Schwahn, owner of Honest Roast Coffee Co., housed in Banbury Place, is on a mission to bring quality Joe he roasts himself to the Chippewa Valley because life’s too short for bad coffee.

When it comes to coffee, everyone has a different opinion. Some prefer it black, some prefer a little coffee with their creamer, and some go for the fancy syrups and Splenda packets. But regardless of your preferences of half-and-half or medium to dark roast, there’s a coffee bean for you residing within Honest Roast Coffee Co. in Banbury Place.

Started in 2014 in Eau Claire by Matt Schwahn, Honest Roast Coffee Co. is one man’s mission to provide the best coffee-drinker’s coffee possible. “I started to really pay attention to what people around me said about coffee,” says Schwahn. “Coffee is a very subjective thing, some people like dark roasts, some people like flavored coffee, some people only drink Ethiopian Sidamo. ... My goal is just to provide them with excellent specialty coffee options and roast them to the best of my ability.”

For Schwahn, Honest Roast Coffee Co. is truly a labor of love, combining both of his passions for coffee and the scientific method to make a delicious cup of Joe.

Schwahn imports coffee from all over the world and roasts the beans right here in Eau Claire. He has developed his own special roasting methodology that ensures bold flavor.

While most coffee companies turn up the heat in order to roast large batches of beans, Schwahn slows it down and roasts at lower temperatures. He does all of the roasting himself; monitoring numbers and the crack of the beans as they roast.

This more personal technique requires a little more elbow grease, but Schwahn says “I feel the added work and extra time it takes to roast the coffee results in a higher quality cup.”

He also takes extra care so that the beans get from the roaster to the bag as soon as possible to preserve freshness. You’ll find no stale beans at Honest Roast.

As far as the future of Honest Roast Coffee Co., Schwahn says that he doesn’t plan on expanding into a cafe.

“I’m going to stay out of the coffee shop or cafe business,” says Schwahn. “That’s almost like operating a restaurant now. You have to have bakery items, soup, sandwiches ... I just want to focus on the coffee.”

With the path he’s on now, Schwahn’s in good shape. His analytical approach to roasting and concentration on quality and customer satisfaction makes Honest Roast a company to keep your eye on as it grows within the Eau Claire community.

So perhaps you should pay a visit to Honest Roast, because as Schawhn says, “life is just plain too short to drink bad coffee.”

To learn more and find out how to buy the beans, visit www.honestroastcoffee.com.