Starbuck family’s coffee available locally, online

By Kris Goracke, news@pctribune.com

It’s the world’s 2nd largest traded commodity.  Crude oil is first. Coffee is the most beloved beverage after water. 

Here are some other fun facts about coffee from the website deathbycoffee.com:

•In 16th century Constantinople, not providing your wife with enough coffee was grounds for divorce

•Coffee stays warm 20% longer when you add cream.

•Brazil couldn’t afford to send its athletes to Los Angeles for the 1932 Olympics, so the government loaded them in a ship full of coffee which was sold on the way to finance their trip.

Coffee. For some it is a necessity in the morning and for others it’s an opportunity to sit and visit.  Whatever the reason, if you are a coffee lover, you probably have a coffee preference – light, medium or dark roast.  But it doesn’t just stop there.  There is so much more to coffee than beans.

The Beaumias are learning just that.  It all began when their adult daughter, Mary, approached her parents about the idea of starting a coffee business.  At the time Mary was a barista in Ely, Minnesota.  Mike and Liz Beaumia had been living on the family farm northwest of Starbuck for seven years when Mary moved back in 2018 and began managing the Musselman’s kiosk in Lowry.  Mike had just retired and the timing seemed right to start something new.  For the next two years Mary managed the kiosk and was joined by her mother, Liz.  In 2019 the Beaumias officially became a coffee business with the purchase of the kiosk and moved the kiosk to the Destiny Fitness parking lot off I-94, exit 77 in 2021.

The Beaumias transformed the hayloft of the old horse barn into a coffee roastery and have been roasting coffee ever since. “It is a learning process,” said Mike.  “We have learned so much since we have started.”

When it comes to roasting, the company chooses the air method.  Here the green beans are placed in what could best be described as a very large air popcorn popper and heats up well over 500 degrees.  Timing is everything when roasting the beans.  The time to roast from light to dark can be just a matter of minutes.  It is all about listening for the cracking – similar to the sound of popcorn popping – shortly after the first crack the beans have a light roast and by the time the second crack begins that’s when you get into your Dark, French and Italian roasts – all dependent upon time and heat. 

“Coffee has different flavors and undertones depending on the region. Every crop is different and the crops vary from year to year as the flavor is dependent upon the growing conditions,” explained Mike.

With over 120 different species of coffee, Liz and Mike base their decisions as to which coffee beans to use from their customers.  “We listen to our customers and what they are looking for in a coffee,” said Liz. “We want to provide a good coffee with interesting notes.  For example, some beans have a fruity undertone, others chocolate and some are earthier. We want to give our customers the freshest coffee with the best taste.”

Currently, Beau Coffee roasts five varieties and one decaf.  The coffee beans come from all over the world such as El Salvador, Colombia, Sumatra, Ethiopia.  “Colombian coffee is the most popular because of its versatility making nice light, medium or dark roast,” said Mike. “However, as we said earlier, each region provides a different flavor and those who enjoy coffee have some definite preferences.”

The coffee company is a web-based company filling customer orders via their website.  They also sell their coffee to local coffee shops such as Shear Indulgence in Glenwood, and bags of the roasted beans can also be found in Evansville at the Main Street Market.  To find all the roasts and varieties they offer, go to the company’s website at beaucoffeeco.com.  Beau Coffee does deliver orders to the local towns in the area.