When I was at Depoe Bay Winery to take pictures for yesterday’s post on Ray Shackelford, Angie told me about Brent at Big Mountain Coffee. I talking to her about how interesting I thought Ray Shackelford is and she said I should meet Brent Duering just up the road between Depoe Bay and Lincoln City.
I walked in and Brent greeted me with a smile. Brent had an abrupt career change that you hear about all too often in the corporate world. He, along with his wife Carla, spent two and a half years learning and studying about everything there is to know about coffee roasting and brewing. He takes it very seriously and obviously it became a passion.
After learning everything he could, he decided to open his coffee shop. While he lived in Eugene he realized that they were already well-established coffee shops and roasters. No reason to compete and step on toes, it’s just not his way. They picked 18 cities as possible locations for Big Mountain Coffee.
They were fans and frequent visitors to the coast and after looking at all of the cities they selected Depoe Bay, but there was still one more thing to do. They went to the coffee shops in town and asked their permission for Brent and Carla to set up shop. That’s why he didn’t stay in Eugene. He wanted to be sure there was room for everyone but on top of that he wanted that the other shops believed there was enough room for a new coffee shop.
He set up in Depoe Bay and quickly had fans and a successful business. They moved north four or so miles up HWY 101 after someone else didn’t have the same sense of karma that Brent did and moved into Depoe Bay. His clients followed while his mail order business grew. He sells his bags of coffee to out of town customers and usually on a regular basis.
Brent sells his coffee by the bag but he doesn’t sell to other coffee shops. He wants to assure quality control when brewing the coffee that he roasts one pound at a time.
The retro decor of “The Warehouse” houses three roasters, as well as a full coffee bar. And a spectacular cup of coffee isn’t the only thing that customers will enjoy. The Warehouse also focuses on the performance arts. This location features a stage area with live music and entertainment offerings. The Warehouse offers a a wonderful venue for musicians and performers to play for the customers.
“Our gourmet and organic coffees have a smooth taste that is low in acidity. Once people taste these coffees they won’t want to go back to the ground coffee bought in the grocery store,” comments Brent.
That was the experience the Duerings had when they first tried fresh-roasted coffee. And, that was when they started thinking about opening their own coffee shop
“We wanted to open a coffee house roastery, where our customers could come in and relax, refresh, and rejuvenate, while enjoying a coffee drink”.
You can visit Big Mountain Coffee at:
3930 Hwy 101
Lincoln Beach, OR 97341
541-764-2195