It’s Founder Friday #5 !!! Today we get to talk with Chelsey Walker-Watson, co-owner of Slate Coffee Roasters / a family owned roaster/ retailer in Seattle, Washington. We discuss her amazing 2nd place U.S. Brewers Cup Competition routine, How she got into the coffee industry, the story of Slate Coffee, how they run things, their expansion, and the values that drive them. Slate is a true gem in the coffee industry and after hearing from Chelsey today you will no doubt be encouraged and also be looking for an excuse to go out and visit their shops for more inspiration.
Chelsey supports any person that adds water to coffee at Slate, serving as the Director of Retail + Wholesale Operations. Beginning her coffee career in 2003 with Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Chelsey worked in the Seattle and Portland markets as a Store Manager and Training Manager before launching Slate with her family in 2012. She is especially proud of her experience and the entire team’s effort in her 2017 US Brewers Cup 2nd place win.
About Slate:
Slate Coffee Roasters is a four-year old specialty coffee roaster and retailer located in Seattle, WA. We are a small, family owned and operated business, started by Lisanne Walker and her children Chelsey (me) and Keenan, out of a love for each other and a mutual passion for coffee. Growing up in the Seattle area and working in established coffee businesses, we sought to re-approach coffee anew, to start over with a fresh perspective in a saturated market. From producer interactions, to roast profiles, to glassware and even menu size, we wanted to look at established coffee trends and question them. With a mission to elevate specialty coffee in Seattle, this drive for progress has informed our ethos.
Launched out of a 1967 Airstream Safari trailer, we introduced ourselves by serving pour-overs and espresso outside of a pizza joint on Capitol Hill. After opening an intimate, bar style shop in May 2013 in East Ballard, we transitioned to a brick and mortar service. Since then, Slate has cultivated a reputation throughout the specialty coffee industry for producing modern coffee–light, sweet, simple–in innovative ways.
We source high-quality coffees from numerous producing countries in order to highlight the diversity inherent in coffee. For us, quality is always the result of collaboration. To that end, we pursue relationships with everyone from the producers of our coffee, to our wholesale partners, suppliers and guests. We often look for coffees that have a uniqueness or a special characteristic about them, and we seek to be as transparent as possible with where our coffee comes from by communicating information such as the region, district, elevation, and processing. Our hope is to give you a glimpse into the story of your coffee, and the long journey it has made to your cup.
Embracing a philosophy we call exposure roasting, we roast the coffee seeds just long enough to highlight the characteristics that are inherently unique about them, without roasting “over” those characteristics. This roast allows for a better ability to distinguish–via taste–coffees with different types of processing, fruit, and regions, therefore honoring our direct relationships and highlighting the hard work of the producers in cultivating delicious coffee. In addition, we have created several coffee blends to showcase more traditional flavor profiles that intentionally pair with milk and other ingredients. Whether you are seeking approachable or exceptional coffees, we have sourced and roasted our coffees to brew the perfect cup.
At Slate’s coffee bars, we brew our coffee with intention, viewing coffee as both a comforting ritual, art, and a science. Whether we are serving coffee enthusiasts or someone simply in need of caffeine, we promise unparalleled hospitality and delicious beverages. As we serve diverse neighborhoods, our coffee bars all present unique spaces, service models and environments to meet the distinct needs of their respective communities. Ballard is modeled after a craft-cocktail bar, and most guests linger over their coffee, enjoying beverages such as espresso or hand-brewed coffee, a leisurely tasting flight, or the beverage that put Slate on the international coffee map, the Deconstructed Espresso + Milk. At Pioneer Square, we retain the simplicity of menu while offering batch brew and counter service to facilitate take away orders. For the University crowd, deep in their exploratory phase, we feature a seasonal menu of sweet signature beverages and darker roasts as a gateway to the world of specialty. Most recently, we partnered with Chrome Industries at the Downtown Seattle Hub this spring, showcasing an understated coffee bar to their guests.
Slate grew out of the idea that coffee can bring people together.
http://archive.seattleweekly.
http://sprudge.com/in-seattle-
–http://www.seriouseats.com/
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