Coffee Connection

by Mary Ann LopezDurango HeraldFebruary 2, 2005In Glenn Lathrop's Bodo Industrial Park office, coffee beans from Colombia, Bolivia and Mexico sit on pallets, waiting for their time to roast.Turning up the heat on his German-made Probat coffee roaster, Lathrop waits for the perfect temperature before dumping the beans inside.Glenn Lathrop, owner of Desert Sun Coffee Roasters in Bodo Park, checks the adjustments on his coffee roaster before starting the roasting process on Jan. 20. Lathrop left behind a career in retail buying for coffee roasting. Last fallLathrop started his roasting business out of an office space in Bodo Park. For the last two months, Lathrop has beenoffering his beans for sale in businesses around Durango. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Herald.)Starting out ashy pale-green, the beans slowly turn a robust brown. He patiently waits for the cracking sounds that signify that the beans are almost fully roasted.As he works, the smell of a heaping cup of java permeates Lathrop's office in his company, Desert Sun Coffee Roasters,.Lathrop left retail buying for a new career as a coffee bean roaster, and is in the process of joining the ranks of more than 300 U.S. coffee roasters and importers licensed to sell Fair Trade certified coffee."A key ingredient of Fair Trade is a fair price back to the farmer," he said.A $3 latte only pays 2 cents back to farmers on non-Fair Trade farms, according to TransFair USA, an organization that certifies Fair Trade coffee. Fair Trade cooperatives can earn three to five times more than they would using traditional trade mechanisms.The Fair Trade beans cost slightly more than regular coffee beans, but Lathrop sleeps better knowing that he does not make money at the expense of the growers."I am in this business to make a living, but it also makes sense and makes it easier to get up at 6 a.m."After one year of research, visiting roasters and learning to roast, Lathrop started the business. The business appealed to his agricultural roots, he said."I grew up on a dairy farm . and I enjoy finding that connection back to agriculture," Lathrop said.Lathrop grew up in Groton, a small town in upstate New York. After college he worked in outside sales for a commercial leasing business. He spent several years working and living in New Jersey.Corinne Ryser, left, smells the aroma of the roasting beans as Kelly Mosinski watches as Lathrop removes samples of the beans during the roasting process. (Photo by Jerry McBride/Herald.)When Lathrop first moved to Colorado he lived in Summit County, working in retail sales in ski shops.In October, Lathrop bought a coffee roaster and began learning the process. For the last two months he has been roasting for local businesses, including Durango Joe's and the Village Café. Guido's Favorite Foods, Sunnyside Farms Market, Nature's Oasis and Durango Natural Foods sell Desert Sun coffees.In his Bodo Park location Lathrop roasts, bags and markets his beans.The most cost-intensive part of the operation was buying the beans and the coffee roaster, which cost about $20,000, Lathrop said. The business required about $55,000 to get up and running. Lathrop used a personal line of credit and the sale of property to get the business going.Bobby Lieb, director of the Durango Chamber of Commerce, said entrepreneurs like Lathrop are beneficial to the local economy."This is a classic case of a gentleman who spent a good part of his career in an urban environment and decided to make a lifestyle change," Lieb said. "We need those types of entrepreneurs. Those types of businesses are good if they have a good business strategy."Desert Sun and Durango Coffee Co. are the only coffee companies that roast locally.Initially, Lathrop plans to start out small, catering to the customers he has and ensuring that they are happy with his product. Times may be lean for a while, but eventually he will work on building his business."If you can find something you can be passionate about it makes the hardships worthwhile," he said. "And I hope that people will enjoy it and like the product."