Duluth Coffee Origins
Eric Faust, founder & owner, fell in love with coffee at a young age. Eric began roasting coffee out of his garage on a 3kilo roaster, as he distributed coffee out of an old, white Ford F-150. The truck, “White Lightning” distributed coffee to local farmers markets and restaurants. In 2012, Eric began roasting coffee in the heart of downtown Duluth. He opened a small coffee house with his little coffee roaster centering the cafe.
As the coffee became more widely available, Eric couldn’t keep up with the demand. The 3kilo roaster was soon replaced with a 12kilo roaster that still operates in the cafe today. Eric was roasting coffee five to seven days a week trying to keep up with local cafes, restaurants and retailers. Green coffee was arriving on pallets and out the door in bags the same week. Packaging and distribution created a bottleneck in output.
In 2017, Duluth Coffee Company partnered with Twin Ports Paper to work as a packaging partner of the coffee company. This allowed Eric to focus on what he does best; sourcing and roasting coffee. Today, our small team operates on a large scale. Eric never anticipated such a following for his handcrafted passion. We continue to roast fresh coffee every week. Our Roastery houses a 70kilo roaster, custom built for our Downtown space. You’ll find Eric roasting coffee on the side of Superior Street.
Eric’s love for coffee connected him to wonderful people across the world. He focuses on roasting single origin coffees to pay homage to the origin and processing of coffee. Eric & crew continue to travel to origin to build relationships with farmers and coffee cooperatives. Recent trips have connected them to farmers in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Papua New Guinea and more. These origin trips have been fundamental in creating direct relationships with farmers to ensure top quality coffee and processing.
Our Mission is to source, roast and craft coffee with integrity and intentionality. We strive to evolve the community of coffee through accessibility and education. Coffee is our vessel for improving the lives of everyone from origin to cup.
