Better Coffee for a Better World
The word Utopian means molded on or aiming for a state in which everything is perfect. And a perfectly balanced cup of coffee and business model is what Utopian Coffee in Fort Wayne Indiana continually strives to create. Founded over a decade ago their ideology was and is to connect people to coffee in a meaningful way. This philosophy starts with the farmers and producers all the way to the consumer who is looking for a well balanced and complex cup of coffee and a side of goodwill.
In addition Utopian believes their employees are family and they surround themselves with the best. We recently caught up with their mad scientist and wizard of roasting, head roaster Nick Brehany to understand more about this remarkable company.
Edible Indy: Tell us a bit about Utopian Coffee and what makes it different from other coffee roasters.
Nick Brehany: There are a lot of things that set us apart from other roasters, but I think the key difference is our holistic approach to coffee. I can't tell you how many times we've sat down together, the entire Utopian team, to identify what meaningful partnerships should look like with every farmer and first-level organizations we work with. This requires a presence, awareness, and execution of our mission that I think few companies take as seriously as we do.
EI: You mentioned in our conversation the importance of living well and making sure those who harvest the coffee beans live well - What are you doing to forward that mission and the responsible process of harvesting?
NB: I believe it all comes down to the partnerships we form. About a decade ago, there was an industry movement to cut out all of the "middle people" by going directly to the coffee farmers in order to become truly "direct trade." In some circumstances, these individual partnerships are the makings of amazing things, but in many, if not most other circumstances, this method is not logistically possible or sustainable for us or the farmers. Without the efforts of these "middle people," neither party would have reliable access to the remote areas where some of the best coffee in the world is grown.
All in all, good partnerships are needed with every person in the supply chain because it transforms the way value is distributed. It allows everyone to be given a fair shake in the value created by coffee. For example, we've begun sourcing with Origin Coffee Lab (OCL) in Peru. OCL is at the ground level, working with farmers while connecting us to their farms so we can work and source directly from them in the future. The beautiful part is I was connected to OCL through an importing company, who mainly oversees logistics. Because everyone in the supply chain knew one another, there was a level of honestly and transparency about where the coffee was coming from, how pricing was being decided, and the natural risks of importing more experimentally processed coffees just for Utopian. Instead of treating coffee like a commodity product, it was like we were all friends talking with one another, making something meaningful happen.
EI: You used to be in the music industry - Give us your top 5 coffee drinks you make and what song would you pair with it.
NB: Stockholm by Jason Isbell paired with a French Press featuring a rich dark roast - this tune brings back memories of late nights with good friends, drinking some of the darkest coffee I've ever drank over conversations that would later shape my entire outlook on life. The richness of those conversations paired with the rich flavors of a classic dark roast just pair perfectly.
Operation Doomsday by MF DOOM paired with a funky and fruity Ethiopian light roast brewed on Chemex - DOOM is the reason I love hip hop today. When you listen to him you'll immediately notice he rhymes differently than any other MC. It's almost like you never know where he's going to go in the song, but he perfectly directs The way he rhymes, and the funky-soulful beats remind me of a classic dry-processed Ethiopian coffee with loads of fruity and floral flavors.
Alison by Slowdive paired with a new-classic called the Swedish Latte. My first job in coffee was at Three Crowns in Warsaw, Indiana. The original owner was of Swedish descent and created a special drink that reflected his heritage. The Swedish latte is half an ounce of maple syrup mixed with nutmeg, fresh cardamom, and espresso with your choice of milk. I think the spiciness and warmth of the Swedish latte contrasts perfectly with the icy and hypnotic tones Slowdive created in Alison.
Visions of the County by Robbie Basho paired with a medium roast from Oaxaca. I absolutely love Oaxacan coffees because they're so approachable and classic. I find the blend of chocolatey, nutty, and citrusy flavors found in Oaxacan coffees make for the perfect everyday go-to cup... something you don't have to think twice about that always tastes great. I think the rustic and relaxing experience of Robbie Basho's record Visions of the County paired with an Oaxacan coffee is the key to reaching ultimate relaxation vibes.
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) by Marvin Gaye paired with what I call the Smoked Sage. Whenever I'm bummed out I listen to Marvin Gaye's record What's Going On, and specifically Mercy Mercy Me. There's no other way to describe it other than uplifting. A while back I created a drink called the Smoked Sage that's super funky and a bit mystical. To make the Smoked Sage you'll need a Lungo shot of espresso (like 3.5oz of espresso instead of 1.5 or 2oz). You'll mix this with about half an ounce of cinnamon-sage simple syrup and a sliver of orange peel. Strain the beverage into a wine glass and top with a piece of sage, preferably something you just torched a little bit to give it that smoky effect. This song with that drink will leave you ascending to an enlightened place.
EI: Tell us about your community involvement and how you all give back to the community.
NB: Great question, and one that we have been spending a lot of time thinking about over the last year. We’ve always been pretty plugged into the small business and philanthropic communities of Fort Wayne. Like most small businesses, we’ve needed and received help countless times from neighbors over the years, and we’ve tried to model that kindness through donations of time, energy, and resources to those around us as we’ve grown. As we grew, though, we began to mentally segregate efforts toward the “for a better world” part of our mission statement based on geography. We had specific goals and initiatives in the countries from which we were sourcing coffee, and we didn’t often see the overlap with things we were involved with in our own backyard.
COVID-19 flipped that script a bit, reminding us that the barriers to prosperity for farmers in Peru were in many ways pretty similar to the obstacles faced by low-wage workers here in the U.S. We started asking an important question for each coffee we were selecting and launching -- “how can we translate and show the common threads that connect the story of this coffee to the story of people here, in our little corner of the Midwest?”
Playful and imaginative answers to this question are helping us succeed a core goal: tangibly and emotionally connecting coffee drinkers here to coffee producers there. Most recently, we ran a donation drive for a local food pantry in tandem with the release of a very special coffee from Honduran producer Oscar Nunez. Several regular purchasers of Oscar’s coffee had backed out of contracts due to COVID-19, leaving him with loads of unsold coffee. The amazing Bonaventure Coffee Project stepped in, helping Oscar connect with and ultimately share his coffees with new purchasers, including Utopian Coffee. We wanted to highlight similar work here in the Fort Wayne area by Forward Indiana, a food pantry that is bridging a gap between those with much and those in need of a little help.
Ultimately, our community involvement boils down to just that – ensuring we are sensitive to the movements and needs of our neighbors to a degree that we’re able to help and have some fun in the process. We believe that together we can make big waves with little efforts like lending a platform, donating and serving delicious coffee, sharing our space and other resources, and meaningfully connecting those here with those there.
EI: Where can we find your coffee in Central Indiana?
NB: We have two awesome partner cafes in Central Indiana, Geist Coffee in Fishers and Bovaconti in Fountain Square. Every time I visit Geist, I’m immediately relaxed and welcomed, which is hard to come by in cafes. Also, their training program is consistently impressive; the entire staff can tell you the ins and outs of every coffee served. Visiting Bovaconti feels like stepping into the ultimate instagramable moment. Seriously, their aesthetic alone is worth the stop. Pair that with their staff's dedication to the finest details of service and what you have is an unforgettable experience.
If you're in Central Indiana I'd highly suggest visiting both and seeing what makes these cafes two of the best in the region. In addition to the coffee, both have an amazing staff and owners that reflect the kind of community engagement and hospitality we strive for in our own work.
Find more information about Utopian Coffee at UtopianCoffee.com - or stop by their cafe located at 118 W. Columbia St., Fort Wayne.
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