Thornton Family Coffee Roasters gained an understanding of the production of coffee through over 40 years of journeyman learning. We do not cut corners. We do not compromise, regardless of the quality we buy. Below are some things we consider to be the most important elements:

1. Growing, picking, washing, milling, packaging, and storage previous to shipping.

2. Storage while awaiting shipping, and shipping to a final destination safely and expediently.

3. Storage in a local warehouse or inside the roasting plant, while awaiting being roasted.

4. Proper roasting while protecting taste attributes realized at the grower level using skills realized through trial and error with a primary focus of protecting previous investments made in every previous step.

5. Freshness: the importance of realizing coffee goes stale quickly after roasting is a key element. Brew coffee shortly after roasting. Again, it's about protecting the investment. The staler coffee gets, the less its value.

6. Grinding and extraction is a super critical step. A grind level that does not match the brew method can cause over or under extractions, ruining the work of every previous step.

7. Coffee brewing methods are standardized through the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). Through trial testing, the SCA has developed general standards for espresso, drip, and manual brewing methods. We like to use these standards as a starting point. But also, brewed coffee goes bad quickly, especially if it's sealed in a pot or sitting on a burner. The importance of knowing how long brewed coffee can sit before it starts to lose its unique character is often trivialized and can ruin the efforts of every previous step if it's not executed properly.

8. The delivery of a coffee beverage to a consumer can ruin the consumer’s impression of the true quality if the delivery is done using anything less than a friendly courteous approach.

When these steps are followed properly and to the highest level of integrity, the investment a roaster makes in their raw coffee supply chain will be protected all the way to the consumer.

The Thornton Family Coffee Roasters wholesale brand follows these steps while purchasing coffees. If you choose us as your roaster, regardless of the quality you select for your brand, we still follow these steps without compromise, with the primary goals of protecting your investment and providing you with the coffee you want to serve to your communities.