Love of coffee led him to roast his own beans

GREGORY J. GILLIGAN
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

David Blanchard is passionate about coffee. But the quality of coffee in Richmond frustrated him. So the stockbroker persuaded his wife, Kelly, to sell her sport utility vehicle in 2004 so he could buy an industrial-size coffee roaster that he had researched for two years. "I've beendrinking coffee since I was 5, so freshness is really important for me," he said.

In January 2005, the couple began roasting coffee in his father's garage to sell mail-order.

They got lucky a few months later after a meeting with a vice president at Ukrop's Super Markets Inc. Blanchard's coffee beans landed at the chain's Joe's Market.

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Java joint raises false alarm

Smoke from coffee roasters spurs calls to fire department
By HOLLY FRAUGHTON

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right?

As it turns out, that old adage isn’t always true.

Firefighters responded to a report of a possible structure fire in the Robie Street area of Halifax at about 10 a.m. Friday.

Turns out, it was a false alarm; a local cafe was simply roasting coffee beans.

Java Blend Coffee Roasters has operated on North Street since 1980, where it sells brewed coffee and tea and roasts its own beans.

Manager Peter Dikaios said while firefighters have responded to false alarms at his shop before, it doesn’t happen often.

"I guess they see the smoke on the top of the roof of the building and they call the fire department."

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ACCC case provokes storm in a coffee cup

Christine Sams

COFFEE giant Nestle Australia is likely to appeal against a decision by the national consumer watchdog about the sale and presentation of imported Nestle-branded coffee in Aldi supermarkets.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) last week ruled against a complaint by Nestle Australia that Aldi stores needed to present and display imported blends of coffee differently.

The ACCC said Aldi can sell Nestle Australia products alongside Nescafe coffee imported from Indonesia and Brazil.

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