‘Wake up to your life’ with Regier Coffee Roasters

Jason and Dolly Regier are among the 64% of Americans who drink coffee, but they’ve taken their coffee passion to the next level by creating Regier Coffee Roasters fresh roasted coffee.

The Regiers consider themselves passionate about coffee, and would often go on coffee dates together, trying coffees from many different shops.

“I think great coffee makes the day better, and it has this kind of built-in conversational aspect,” Jason said. “My wife and I love to go on dates over coffee. It’s just a great time to connect in conversation, and it helps bring people together.”

His love for coffee only grew once he discovered the secret to the best cup of Joe: freshly roasted beans.

Jason started roasting his own coffee beans five years ago when his wife Dolly got him a small home roaster for his birthday.

“I immediately noticed a difference in flavor and freshness,” Jason said. “It tasted so different from what I was used to from the grocery store or big coffee chains.”

One comparison Jason likes to make to show the difference between fresh roasted beans and grocery store or big chain coffee is the difference between fresh and stale bread.

“Fresh bread is so much better than stale bread, right? Coffee is the same way,” he said. “The fresher it is, the better it is. It has a shelf life and can get stale over time.”

Coffee is at its peak freshness two to three days after roasting, and then for about two weeks after that. The better it’s stored, the longer it will stay fresh, so avoiding air, moisture and light will keep coffee at its best.

Two years ago, Jason moved back to his hometown of Madrid with Dolly and their three children to farm, and Jason discovered he had the time, space and opportunity to explore his interest in coffee.

He purchased a larger home roaster, set up a space in his garage and started roasting larger quantities for himself, his family and his friends.

One day, he and Dolly decided to “just go for it,” and they launched Regier Coffee Roasters in February of 2020 with the tagline “Wake Up To Your Life.”

This tagline, Jason said, has multiple meanings, centered around how coffee can improve one’s day.

The coffee itself, with its aroma and flavor (and caffeine, of course), the relationships and conversation formed around a good cup of coffee, trying new things and living generously all fall under the umbrella of “waking up to your life.”

Their first blend was their Sweetheart Blend, which they released just in time for Valentine’s Day that year.

“It flew off the shelves,” Dolly said.

They launched their business with a Facebook page and a simple website, and Jason would travel to nearby farmers’ markets to sell bags of freshly roasted beans.

Jason and Dolly run the business together, with Jason handling the roasting, and Dolly doing packaging and administrative work.

“The kiddos help out once in a while, too,” Jason said.

To get beans for Regier Coffee Roasters, Jason works directly with importer Genuine Origin, who works directly with farmers.

They are price conscious and focus on sustainability, so the Regiers find them easy to work with.

Jason receives the beans green and unroasted from multiple regions, including Peru, Ethiopia and Kenya.

In August, he purchased an air roaster, which he had hooked up in September.

The air roaster, also known as a fluid bed roaster, roasts the beans on a bed of air, giving it a cleaner and smoother taste than if it were prepared in a drum roaster.

In November, Jason got his wholesale license and the Regier Coffee Roasters operation center moved into the Madrid General Store, where he is able to roast and sell his coffee beans.

He has no interest in opening up a storefront for the business. He prefers working with retailers, and would like to continue to grow the business and expand so their beans are available in more places throughout Southwest Nebraska.

Jason has found that balancing farming and Regier Coffee Roasters works out well, as there are spaces in farming that allow for him to have time for the coffee business.

“Farming is the reason we moved back, and this has been a very fun and cool opportunity that I think complements farm life quite well,” he added.

Later this year, the Regiers plan to support orphan care, such as foster and adoptive families and communities, by offering new coffees where a percentage of each bag will go toward the cause.

In their 13 months of operation, Regier Coffee Roasters has received “very, very positive feedback,” according to Jason and Dolly, and they added they have also received a lot of support.

Right now, Regier Roasters Coffee can be purchased at the General Store in Madrid, directly from the Regiers or on their website, jasonregier.net/coffee. They can ship anywhere in the continental U.S.

Keep an eye out for educational tasting events with Regier Coffee Roasters in the future!