World Class
Deborah Di Bernardo prepares French press coffee at Roast House. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO
Four years since its debut, Roast House lands a national award for its ethical, fair-trade coffee BY CHEY SCOTT
B
elow a massive mural depicting a coffee bean’s journey from the lush jungles of Central America to the small Spokane warehouse, laminated sheets of printer paper hang crookedly on unpainted drywall, noting names of countries: Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala. Stenciled labels indicate weight in kilos on the burlap sacks piled beneath. Above the din of beans clattering into a giant funnel on top of the dark, emerald-green roaster, music plays faintly from desktop computer speakers. The heated beans inside the furnace-like machine give off a nutty, earthy scent with a hint of fruit. It’s a busier-than-usual Thursday morning at Roast House, a small roasting
operation on Spokane’s North Side. A little more than four years ago, owner Deborah Di Bernardo became so fed up with the coffee industry she quit her job as wholesale manager at a large, local roasting company. Back then, she never would have predicted the local success and achievements Roast House has since attained — most notably, landing a 2014 Good Food Award last month for its Guatemalan Batzchocola coffee. “What is so glorious about this award, when we pulled the coffee to compete we pulled it out of a bin,” Di Bernardo says. “We didn’t go looking for special coffee to compete with. We just wanted to play with other people in our industry — we never really thought about
winning.” The annual San Francisco-based culinary competition — now in its fourth year — recognizes food producers for both social responsibility and environmentally sustainable production, as well as flavor. Entries in categories such as beer, cheese, chocolate, coffee, pickles, spirits and oils are judged during a blind taste test, as well as through a vetting process to verify industry-specific criteria. Coffee entrants had to meet fair trade and sustainability benchmarks, among others. Of the roughly 140 coffee-roasting entrants, including many large and wellknown roasters, Roast House took home top accolades ...continued on next page
FEBRUARY 20, 2014 INLANDER 27