Coyote Moon Coffee LLC | Georgetown

Coyote Moon Coffee LLC | Georgetown

By Suzanne Haberman Friday, 14 May 2010

GEORGETOWN — After about six months in business as a coffee roaster and wholesaler operating from a minimalist manufacturing space, Cynthia Garcia is ready to open a coffee and espresso bar at the H-E-B at Hwy. 29 and IH 35 in May. From her first service location, she will serve fresh-brewed coffee and sell 1-pound bags of beans she roasts herself.

At Coyote Moon Coffee LLC, Garcia roasts beans from all over the world. The process, she said, is 80 percent science and 20 percent artistic flare.

“I am the only roaster, and even as the business grows, I intend to be the only roaster so it has the same profile,” she said.

To ensure each bean achieves the ideal temperature and color for Coyote Moon coffees, Garcia exclusively supervises the roasting of 7 to 25 pounds of beans at a time, carefully monitoring dials on the machine.

“Developing the flavor takes time and energy,” Garcia said.

She listens for the beans to crack and watches for the color to change from sage green to burnt umber. At the start of the process, the beans smell like hay, and then develop the familiar fragrance of coffee after about 15 minutes.

Garcia takes the science of coffee making seriously, storing the raw, green coffee beans in a temperature-controlled and dehumidified room until roasting time. She emphasizes limited contact with the air to obtain high quality.

“I bag everything immediately, and I only do whole beans,” Garcia said. “That maintains the integrity of the bean from beginning to end.”

Before signing a contract to sell her 1-pound bags of coffee and open the walk-up coffee bar at H-E-B, Garcia had been providing Georgetown retailers and restaurants with bags, which cost between $10 and $15 a pound. She also hopes to expand sales into neighboring cities.

Aaron and Susan Dyer of Dyer Dairy were one of the first retailers to sell Coyote Moon Coffee.

“Aaron just kept saying, ‘We need it,’” Garcia said.

A variety of roasts, including Sun, Moon and Stars Coffee Blend and the Espresso Blend, have been available on the shelves of the Georgetown mercantile alongside raw milk, cheese and other local foods since November 2009. Susan said the coffee has increased in popularity and sales have increased.

“Once you try it, you can’t go back to something else,” Susan said.

That is exactly what happened to Garcia. A cup of coffee she tried while visiting Spain with her husband inspired her to brew her own.

“I had some, and it wasn’t in the same category as what we have in the United States,” she said.

After experiencing that exceptional flavor, Garcia began her search for the perfect cup of coffee. She studied the source of beans and the roasting process through trade shows and started roasting beans 1 pound at a time from her home in 2007.

“Coffee to me is an experience,” Garcia said.

She drinks her own coffee daily, but insists on brewing one cup at a time and sitting down to enjoy it.