chapter 1: picture this…
In 2015 our future head roaster planted the literal and metaphorical seeds of Blank Page Roasting while embarking on one of many existential crises in the heart of Nicaragua. He spent several weeks making a single cup of coffee. He learned. He cried. And he sat in appreciation of a widely complex, delicate, intimately earth-derived beverage.
chapter 2: then came 2020
Our roaster moved into a large communal living situationship known as Camp Wallingford. He did not pay rent and had a studio just up the road, but that’s beside the point. While deep in quarantine - he discussed his life with one of the future BPR Board members, Laura. All he needed was a, “What, Nathan -I’m on a call. Yeah? Go for it…” and that stimy check was gone faster than the home insurance policy knowing there would be a propane stove burning beans day in and day out.
chapter 3: the evolution
Maddie (BPR’s Ethnographic Researcher) and Nathan (Head Roaster / YouTube Personality) moved into a 500 sq. ft. carriage house and attempted approximatly two too many hobbies. But this set the stage for the Dirt Under Nails, and Blank Page Roasting collab we see every holiday season. As BPR grew in prominence within that singular block of Eastlake, Seattle and a small but angsty friend group - the profits did not follow suit. The BPR Board Members grew anxious. They complained. They tried to pay more, and offered to take the head roaster under their wing. But he was too tall and crayon-like and could not really fit. However he did start shipping beans, roasting more for locals, and Columbused the “CSC” (Community Supported Coffee) system to sustainably roast beans for friends and neighbors using lil reusable tins and weekly pick-ups. Like a pre-teen phoenix mixed with Jenifer Lawrence in the first Hunger Games, our roaster stood in defiance and took aim at the benevolent system! He let the flaming arrow fly and ultimately found himself in Denver, Colorado without a penny to his name and a resounding resolve to do something.
chapter 4: coloRADo
Days become weeks, and eventually the love was too much and our Head Roaster and Ethnographic Researcher filled out the requisite BRP conflict-of-interest forms to “take it to the next level”. Maddie and Nathan were wed by one of our very own board members (Laur). What are boundaries anyway?
chapter 5: the hostile takeover
Movements rarely progress in metered and linear fashions. As BPR shot into the 21st century, their internal clock began to slow down. Perhaps it was what Malcolm Gladwell refers to as a “Tipping Point”… During these unprecedented times, certain members of the board rose up and… well… embarrassed themselves. Check it out for yourself, below. As Doug Tompkins once said,
“what happens if you get to the cliff and you take one step forward… or you make a 180 degree turn and then take one step forward? Which way are you going? Which way is progress?"
chapter 6: roastin @ 8000 ft
The surviving members of the board found a quiet cottage in Conifer, Colorado and have roasted many a bean to this very day. This website is the product of 5 hours of metered concentration, complimented by immeasurable hours of procrastination and annoyance by friends and family. Thanks for being here and helping to write the next chapter of this Blank Page.
in all seriousness…
We are an extremely small batch coffee roaster that only works with single-origin, farm-direct importers. Our head roaster has a full-time job elsewhere, and has a tendency to dive wayyy too deep into hobbies. Every coffee we roast is the product of that obsession, and we truly believe our beans are on-par with the best craft coffee roasters in the world. We ship in as sustainable packaging as possible and are a member* of the World Coffee Research 501(3) dedicated to driving, “research to dramatically improve coffee productivity, coffee quality, climate resilience, and farmer livelihoods.”
*pending renewal!