Welcome To Borealis Coffee Company
Roasting coffee is a blend of art and science; the entire process from bean to brew requires skill and constant attention. We know that coffee is at its best when it's freshly roasted, so we roast in small batches to ensure you receive the best beans with every order. Smaller batches means we roast more often and coffee doesn't sit on a shelf waiting to be sold.
We taste each batch of coffee we roast as our commitment to quality. We're constantly tweaking our roasts because every coffee bean has unique flavors worth highlighting. We take the time to discover the point in the roast where each bean (or each blend) develops its best attributes and flavor profiles. That means most of our roasts are on the light to medium side so you can still taste the flavor of the beans versus the flavors of the roast.
Come by the cafe for a cup or to restock your favorite beans for home. Stay for while; read or work in the cafe. If you're curious about the process, ask questions, we'd love to answer them over a cup of coffee.
How We Started
Brian Dwiggins, Owner/Head Roaster, grew up in Anchorage, AK, and one thing Alaskans understand is the value of hot coffee to warm the body and perk up the mind during cold, dark winters. Alaskans welcomed the strong influence from the Pacific Northwest's coffee culture. Brian grew up drinking craft coffee while the specialty coffee culture was still in its infancy. The process of sourcing coffee from far-off places piqued his interest from an early age.
Living in a state that is commonly referred to as the Last Frontier, Alaskans are accustomed to travel. Brian developed an undying love of exploration paired with a strong sense of adventure early in his life. His travels have taken him all over the world including the coffee rich areas of Indonesia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Before he even bought his first home roaster he found himself drawn to coffee farms where the product and process are of equal importance.
After attending college in Colorado, Brian and his (now) wife moved to Rhode Island to start corporate jobs. Six months later, Brian realized that his 9-5 wasn't for him. He eventually found himself in the New England film industry as a freelance lighting technician, helping to give the actors that twinkle in their eyes.
Working late into the night and overnight reminded Brian of the prolonged darkness of home and strengthened his love of great coffee. But, he found himself in a region of the country where chains dominate coffee culture. It was this lack of quality coffee that led Brian to begin home-roasting in 2010 and bringing his own coffee to his movie sets.
Word of delicious coffee spread quickly around the set. Cast and crew alike began requesting Brian's roasts. This was the push he needed to start Borealis Coffee Company: to provide film crews with excellent coffee. Borealis Coffee's film industry debut was on the set of "Black Mass," which was released in 2015.
While the film industry was the catalyst that drove the company's creation, Brian's goal is to share the best coffees he can find with as many people as possible. Whether you find yourself on the set of a film, sitting down with a French Press and the Sunday paper, or just need that cup to get through the morning, Borealis was created to share great coffee with you.
Borealis means from the north in Latin and is an homage to the Brians's roots.