Exceptionally roasted coffee should be available to everyone.

Joshua Ihrie has been searching for high-quality, single-origin coffee beans to provide exceptionally roasted coffee to the northeast Indiana community. His company, The Northerner Coffee Co., will be the vehicle to make it happen.

Although Joshua is not currently selling his product, he has a business plan for growth that starts with finding the perfect roast. Roast ratings include palate, flavor balance, and drinkability. Roasts that score between 80 and 100 on the Roast Rating scale are considered “specialty grade,” and these are exactly the quality of roasts Ther Northerner Coffee Co. will offer to the area.

But Joshua has already found a few options that he’s trying out on friends and family before expanding to a larger market. Once he knows the roast will be a success on a smaller scale, he can continue to grow his business.

Joshua’s plan for growth relies heavily on hyper-targeted social media marketing. His experience as a video producer in a local marketing agency has given him the tools to create a scalable plan that will help The Northerner Coffee Co. move from a tri-county to tri-state to national market.

Part of this plan also involves creating a presence at farmer’s markets, where Joshua will teach community members how to properly brew coffee. This not only puts a face to the brand, but it will also help The Northerner Coffee Co. build trust early on among consumers.

In the short-term, Joshua hopes to move out of his friend’s basement and into a brick-and-mortar establishment, eventually settling in as a full-service coffee cafe. For now, he’ll continue to fulfill his passion for the coffee roasting process and share exceptional coffee with his friends and family.