PORTAGE, MI — Stop into the unassuming tasting room at Ron‘s Beans in Portage, and chances are, you’ll get a coffee recommendation from Ron himself.
Ron Martin, 48, roasts coffee beans in a small building at 830 W. Centre Ave. in Portage. He also mans the adjacent cafe and register and makes deliveries to customers’ homes.
From raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to collaborating with other local businesses, Martin’s business model is all about helping others.
“I got started buying from him after we had the tornado,” said regular customer Alicia Turner. “I saw on Facebook that he was donating free coffees to people that were affected by it … the fact that he would do that, that’s somebody I want to give my business to.”
Ron’s Beans has been around far longer than the small tasting room, which opened a year ago and now brings customers into the shop on a regular basis.
Before it was a full-time gig, Martin handled lending at a credit union and roasted coffee as a hobby.
Ron’s Beans officially got started when Martin signed up for a 300-mike bike ride/fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. As much as he loved cycling and giving to a good cause, he disliked going to friends and family for fundraising.
Instead, he decided to sell coffee to raise money. Fifteen years later, a portion of every item he sells still goes to support Make-A-Wish.
“Cyclists, they love a couple things,” Martin said. “They love beer and good coffee.”
Martin grinds beans for a cup of pour over coffee.Audrey Whitaker
Unlike pre-ground and packaged coffee found at the grocery store, Ron’s Beans are roasted in small batches just two or three days a week to ensure freshness.
Some customers will even text him with a special order that he’ll roast, package and deliver within a few hours, Martin said. He offers about a dozen flavored roasts too, all of which came from customer requests.
Martin’s coffee knowledge goes beyond the roasting process. Each year, he chooses two farms to source the beans from, Martin said, and travels to South America to meet the farmers in person.
Beans from Nicaragua arrive in personalized burlap bags. The hand-painted designs reflect part of the harvesting process, Martin said.Audrey Whitaker
“We’ve built relationships with seven to eight farms in Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia, Panama, Brazil,” Martin said. “It’s fun to bring that in and I think customers want that.”
For the last five years, Martin has partnered with a cooperative of about 15 farms in Nicaragua that ships coffee to the U.S. Processing that coffee is expensive, and Martin wants to make sure to support farmers in poorer countries.
This year, Martin sourced coffee from a farm in Nicaragua. He plans to visit the farm in-person this winter.Audrey Whitaker
In November, the shop will host a special event where customers will learn about the farms he’s worked with this year and try their coffee, Martin said.
Sure, Martin serves coffee enthusiasts. But he also wants the experience to be accessible to casual coffee drinkers and people just taking an interest.
“I’m not an elitist,” Martin said. “I always try to just educate the customer and say, this is this is what I taste. What you’re going to taste is different, but here are some attributes of the coffee.”
In the tasting room, he offers bags of whole beans starting at $12, as well as a small menu of unique seasonal drinks and coffee shop favorites.
Ron’s Beans offers over a dozen flavored roasts, all inspired by customer requests.Audrey Whitaker
A simple drip coffee brewed with Ron‘s Beans costs just $3, while a latte or flavored espresso drink starts at $4 or $5.
“I want to offer drinks that other places offer as well, just to gain some new customers, but also create some different things, the Black Sugar Shaker or the pumpkin.”
The maple vanilla latte, intended to be a seasonal spring drink, has become a customer favorite year-round, Martin said.
The tasting room offers coffee shop favorites like this iced latte as well as unique seasonal drinks, all made with Ron’s Beans.Audrey Whitaker
On Thursdays, stop into the tasting room for seasonal cronuts from Blue Kitchella, another locally-owned business. On Fridays and Saturdays, Ron’s Beans offers baked goods from Victorian Bakery. Sweets from Confections with Convictions at the shop any day of the week.
The tasting room is open from 8 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Tuesdays, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
You can find Ron‘s Beans brewing and for sale in the tasting room or at several businesses in the area — including Harding’s Friendly Market, Fresh Thyme and Latitude 42.
Martin hopes to add a patio next to the building before snow flies, as well as a new sign and mural painted by a local artist.
This week, he‘ll be in Traverse City supplying coffee for a bicycle race, then he’ll be preparing the tasting room for a holiday market and tasting event on Nov. 23.
“I know it’s just coffee,” Martin said. But by providing it, he’s offering comfort and connection to the people of his community.
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Publish date : 2024-10-31 03:30:00
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