Help Marvin Purchase a Coffee Roaster

In 2017, while job hunting in the Rochester, NY area and seriously struggling to make ends meet, I would occasionally stop at coffee shops around the city to clear my head and take much needed breaks. One day I stopped at Java's and got a cappuccino. Having never really thought much before about coffee or the art baristas were creating with foam on my drinks, I decided to ask - "How did you make that?" The answer made me understand that there's a lot more to coffee than just latte art and sent me on a mission to learn everything I could about coffee. Since that day at Java's I've spent years working in coffee shops around the area learning how to perfect my craft, networking with other professionals in the industry across the country and studying the chemistry behind coffee roasting and brewing. The science behind roasting is where my focus has been, and I've made it my goal to take this to the next level; it's time to buy my own roaster and really invest in myself and my craft.

In 2020 I started my own company, Lo-Phase Coffee, and have released a few small batches of whole beans over the years. I'm not going to lie - it's been a difficult struggle. I committed to my future in coffee at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic - so it never really had a chance to take off the way I imagined it would. I've suffered the loss of jobs, feeling black-listed from the industry and community here locally. I've lost friends, money, time and some days even the desire to keep pushing forward with this dream. The local coffee community is difficult to navigate - at times it's cut-throat, demeaning and exclusive...especially for people from my cultural and economic demographic. I know I don't fit the "profile" - I'm a black man with dreads down to my waist who wears baggy clothing, listens to rap music and skateboards. You can imagine the stereotypes thrown at me on a daily basis. Being a successful black man in the coffee industry is not just hard, it's almost impossible. Despite the non-sense, I keep moving forward - I'm motivated, inspired, and determined to make this work. I believe I can do this and I know so many of you feel the same...your support means the world.

I have so many great ideas and plans for what's to come next, but I need your help. Asking for help is not easy, but I know I can't do this without your support. Any amount you can donate goes directly to the purchase of my roaster and is greatly appreciated - more than I can ever say. If you're interested in learning more about the roaster I've selected you can read more here - Mill City Roaster. I've spent hours researching roasters and I'm confident that this is the best choice for me. It's a 1-kilogram roaster capable of roasting several small batches in a short amount of time. With this, I'll be able to home roast a variety of coffee beans in limited small batches over an extended period of time - offering you not only variety and consistency, but specialty coffee beans with a carefully crafted flavor profile. Let's do this!

If you want to chat some more about the roaster or my plans, pull up at Pandamonium on the corner of Main and Winton.

Follow my journey here on Instagram