Getting a Fresh Start …
…in one of the 100 Best Small Towns in America!
Well folks, our Brewton, Alabama factory is finally roasting! And before we got the air conditioning installed, roasting was the key word (right Rupert?). Rupert, our head roaster in the Norwich facility, recently spent 10 sweltering days in Brewton sharing his secret blend profiles and getting us off to a super fresh start.
Our brother Johnny (now known as Juanny) quickly learned the roasting process after having been a chef for several decades. Roasting beans is very similar to cooking, and “Juanny” is already finding ways to tweak some roasts to suit the local tastes. He effortlessly became one with our Probat L15 roaster and finds every opportunity to experiment.
The Brewton-based facility is currently roasting blends including the ever popular Blue Mountain Blend, Brewton Brew (a fast local favourite), and Jean’s Java which was named in memory of dear Mom. Brewton Brew combines the biscuity smoothness of Brazilian and Central American beans, while the Jean’s Java mingles intensely rich and luxurious flavours of beans from Sumatra and Columbia. We also offer Verona Espresso, and several single-origin roasts like Columbia Supremo and Kenya AA.
A few of the local shops are already stocking our roasts. NDI/The Cracked Pot and The Hourglass antique and gift shop were our first local customers. Last weekend was Brewton’s 28th Annual Blueberry Festival and our product was on the shelves for the visitors and locals alike. The reports from the shop owners were uplifting. Folks are excited and intrigued that coffee this fresh is being roasted right in their backyard.
Many people have asked how it is to work with family, stating that it’s a good thing we all get along. Indeed we do, and to see my brother Rick’s dream come true to start a family business and provide opportunities to those he loves only makes the family bond stronger.
Rupert (now part of the family, and affectionately renamed Brupert) will return in the near future to hone our skills in the tea department, and teach us some more entertaining English phrases (we’re suddenly dumping rubbish in bins instead of taking out the trash!). I know he’ll return, not only because we now have air conditioning, but because I gave him a small taste of nearby Pensacola Beach on the last day of his visit. Once he planted his feet in that sugary sand and watched in awe as the skimmers flew by at arms’ length, I knew we had him! He quickly became a photographer for tourists posing on the beach and made friends with all who heard him speak (that English accent gets them every time).
Wilkinson’s of Norwich – USA LLC is a member of the SCAA (www.scaa.org) and the local Brewton Area Chamber of Commerce (www.brewtonchamber.com). We look forward to expanding our US presence, and carrying on the warm tradition that Wilkinson’s of Norwich has honoured since 1972. In the name of family and all that is fresh, let’s roast!
