One hot afternoon, Shane Bergmann stepped into the cool space of a local downtown Chico cafe and ordered a cup of Ethiopia Mocha Harrar. Accustomed to coffee drank in the wee hours during his shift as a donut maker, notes of chocolate with spice surprised him. He describes the experience as "mind blowing." He was 14. Awakened to new possibilities, Shane sought out local coffee houses wherever he traveled. In the passing decades, he worked as a baker, brewer, and as a specialized finish contractor. In 2010, a Craigslist ad for a 1 pound San Franciscan roaster caught his eye. With the small red and gold SF1, he began exploring different coffees--discovering regions around the equator through the varietals that thrived in particular soils and at certain elevations. In his free time, Shane experimented. Hunting profiles that enhanced and highlighted desirable qualities, his skill and knowledge grew. Those early notebooks sit stacked next to the little San Franciscan roaster. Their pages, now recorded to memory, are filled with coffees, times, temperatures, and percentages of air. Each test session carefully recorded the resulting profiles unique to the variety, processing method, and roast. Shane began giving samples to his family and to customers to taste.

In 2012 Shane visited San Franciscan Roaster Company in Fallon Nevada to meet with the owner, Bill, about a larger roaster. The result of that discussion was a research and development project (the Golden Gate Roaster) that could produce 25 pounds at a time or 100 pounds/hour. Shane and his wife Dolores now expanded into coffee houses and grocery. He began layering profiles from different regions and exploring roast levels. The outcome were several signature roasts that became the core of Rusty Roof offerings. The connection to place that delights us when drinking an exceptional single origin became the foundation of something superlative--a journey not only to places such as Ethiopia, Colombia, or East Timor, but somewhere intangible. This concept has inspired some of our proprietary blend names: Dark Side of the Moon, Karma, Bohemian, and Vaquero.

Our commitment to producing exceptional coffee is the core of everything we do. Our love of coffee keeps us exploring, learning, and discovering.