For we walk by faith and not by sight.

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For we walk by faith and not by sight. 〰️

Derek started roasting coffee out of his home in 2017 as a way to earn additional income, selling it along with honey from his backyard beehives at farmer's markets and craft shows. Almost everyone who tried it loved it! Derek’s focus was on low acid organic coffees and that continues to this day. His favorite was high grown organic Peruvian and that origin remains an important part of their product line today. He fell in love with making high quality coffee and dreamed of one day being able to open a shop where he could serve his own freshly roasted coffee.

In 2019 he married Melanie, a fellow beekeeper, who did it as a hobby to pollinate her garden. Together they have increased their product line to include skin care products made with the honey and beeswax from their hives (lotion bars, lip balm and homemade soaps).

To make coffee even more delicious and portable they stated making chocolate covered espresso beans and their customers absolutely loved them. During this time, God gave Melanie a vision of running a coffee shop along side Derek, but assumed it would be when they were closer to retirement age.

In late 2021, the opportunity opened up for them to buy a building where they could do the work for their customers, transforming their freshly roasted coffee into a large variety of delicious drinks. It didn't take long to realize their customers wanted other treats to go with their coffee, so they pulled out several old family recipes and expanded their products even further. In addition to their own baked goods, they expanded to include rolls baked by their friend and fellow farmers market vendor Chad “The Breadman”.

Derek's mother was known for her amazing home cooking and Derek honors her memory with making some of his favorites from his childhood and adding on things like homemade ice creams and waffle cones.

“Seeing our customers faces light up when they take the first sip of a drink is our absolutely favorite part of the job”, says Melanie. “We have some amazing regular customers that have become our friends and it's such a blessing to see them so often in a world where it's so difficult to find time to visit with our loved ones. We enjoy watching others use the building God has blessed us with as a place to gather with friends and family.” So sit back, relax, play a game, read a book and spend time with the ones you love here at 11th Lane Roastery!

In the end, it's the relationships you have that mean the most in life.