Our Story
OVER 30 YEARS OF SMART, SUSTAINABLE, EXCEPTIONAL COFFEE IN YOUR CUP
BATDORF & BRONSON® COFFEE ROASTERS AND DANCING GOATS® COFFEE: A MATCH MADE IN COFFEE HEAVEN
In the remote highlands of 9th century Abyssinia, now Ethiopia, a lone goatherd named Kaldi noticed his goats were full of energy, dancing, and prancing, after eating a small red fruit from a nearby shrub. Not wishing to be left out of the fun, he tried the cherries, and soon he was dancing too. According to legend, Kaldi and his goats had discovered coffee.
In 1988 we opened the Dancing Goats® Coffee Bar in Olympia Washington, serving locally roasted Batdorf & Bronson® coffee. A few years later, the two beloved Olympia institutions merged, paving the way for decades of innovation in the quest to create great coffee.
It’s a long road from Abyssinia to your cup. But we’re glad to be on that journey with you. See our history timeline.
Our History
In 1988, before the Pacific Northwest became home to the coffeehouse boom, Larry and Cherie Challain opened the first Dancing Goats® Coffee Bar in Olympia, WA. A passion for serving great coffee grew into a passion for roasting the world’s finest coffees when they became the owners of Batdorf & Bronson® Coffee Roasters, one of the most well-regarded specialty coffee companies in America. In order to ensure the delivery of freshly roasted coffee to customers across the country, Batdorf & Bronson® opened its Atlanta roastery in 1994. Our coffees are now being served in cafes and fine restaurants around the country in addition to our own locations where the excellent quality of Batdorf & Bronson® coffees combines with knowledge and skilled baristas in delightful settings.
Sustainability
WE IMPLEMENT SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN NEARLY EVERY ASPECT OF BUSINESS
From the beginning, Batdorf & Bronson® Coffee Roasters has been committed to producing outstanding coffee and doing more than our competitors. We wanted to do more for our farmers, more for our customers, and more for our environment. When running the day-to-day business of our company, we’ve used the same attention to detail that we put into perfecting each of our coffees. Batdorf & Bronson® was the first 100% green-powered coffee roaster in the United States. We know that as we grow our company, we will continue to have even more opportunities to exemplify what a business could do when it focuses on community and sustainability.
We know that as our community thrives, we thrive. We shop and source as many of our products as we can from our local community. We gather fresh-baked pastries from local vendors, use independently-owned office suppliers, and eco-friendly print vendors.
Ethics & Compliance
We strive to build long-lasting relationships with our partners, focusing on sustainability, transparency, and trust. For that reason, we ask all of our partners and suppliers to agree to our business philosophy by signing our Code of Conduct.