It was on a roadtrip through northern Idaho many years ago when I stopped in a small lake-side town called Sandpoint to take a break. A quick google search let me know there was a coffee roaster & cafe not far from where I was. That fortuitous stop, introduced me to Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters. Years later, I now plan my trips through that part of the country to always include a stopover in SandPoint and nearby Coeur d’Alene to visit this great roaster.
Brothers, Rick and Randy Evans, founded Evans Brothers Coffee in the summer of 2009. And 15 yeras later, they’re still an integral part of the communities they call home. It seems like everyone in Northern Idaho knows about Evans Brothers, and loves stopping by one of their cafes to sit down, connect with friends, and enjoy some incredible coffee. Because of this, I knew I needed to share their story this month as our Coffee Roaster of the Month.
I reached out to Daniel Gunter (Director of Coffee Quality & Lead Roaster) to help share more of the Evans Brothers story.
Hey Daniel, so great to get the chance to connect with you! Help our audience get to know you a bit better…
What’s your personal backstory in coffee?
Coffee was a daily thing in our house, both of my parents drank it in the morning (at least!), and one of my siblings worked at a local coffee roastery for several years. Growing up, I didn’t know that coffee itself could taste good so I stuck to enjoying the smell, or added a TON of milk and sweetener to make it palatable. At a certain point, all it took was one good cup of coffee at the right time and I was on the coffee trajectory from that point on! I jumped in headfirst, was able to work with some fantastic coffee and equipment, then move back to my hometown of Sandpoint, ID and work with Rick and Randy. I’ve been with Evans Brothers for over 13 years at this point, it’s amazing to raise my kids in my hometown and work in the coffee industry.
How did you get started?
I initially got a coffee job because it seemed fun and easy so I started working for a national chain in Portland, Oregon in 2005. I was NOT making good coffee but did make great friends who I’m close with to this day. Somebody suggested that I visit Stumptown coffee and the rest is history. I ordered a plain latte, it blew me away, and I went back every day not only to enjoy the coffee, but also to figure out why it was so good. I worked my way through a few shops over the years, really growing and cutting my teeth at Coffeehouse NW on Trinity (Sterling coffee adjacent, NOW reopened as a The Great North cafe), and the first Barista location in the Pearl District, which is still one of my favorite coffee shops of all time. The connections I made with coworkers and customers, as well as the variety of coffee I was able to work with over those years helped me hone my barista and service skills. There was a “cool barista” vibe around the industry at the time that never sat right with me, so I made it a point to be warm, welcoming, and try to give people the mind-blowing experience I remembered having. I’m sure I gave some less than stellar service at times, I WAS in my early 20’s, but the drive to welcome people warmly and serve the highest quality drinks really helped frame the experience that I ask our staff to provide.
What keeps you going in coffee?
The people! I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Central and South America while working at Evans Brothers, which has really helped to solidify the importance of people and relationships in the coffee industry. Through the connections we’ve made with importing and producing partners, we’ve been able to buy coffee from the same producers year after year. A total dream as a smaller, younger roastery in the past is more of a reality as time goes on. I get to work with fantastic people all around who want not only a good product, but want to positively affect those around them. Witnessing a staff member’s over and above hospitality from the sidelines will never get old, and makes me want to come back every day. The coffee is obviously delicious and brings me back as well, but it really is the people that keep me going.
Before we go much further, share with our readers what you’re drinking/enjoying these days when it comes to coffee!
I LOVE Maria Escobar’s coffee from Guatemala. Very sweet, clean, and as I like to describe it, purple. We’ve been able to buy Maria’s coffee every year since 2019, which makes me enjoy it even more when I have a cup. The Ethiopia Wuri (also a repeat offering) and Kenya Kii are both knocking my socks off right now as well.
I see that Evans Brothers Coffee recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. What would you say are some of your keys to this kind of success?
As I mentioned above, being warm, welcoming, and hospitable. We’ve been able to build an internal culture of respect, care, and attention to detail. I think our guests feel this care and respect and want to come back. We use fantastic ingredients in our cafes, buy great green coffee, and put a lot of care into roasting and preparing it. When you hand somebody something of that quality, while also making a point to respect the fact that they chose to come in, it really helps to bring people back and create a strong community. As a business we’ve always been big supporters of local nonprofit organizations, and have been able to succeed in the community through that support as well. We’re not just a business that exists to make a buck, we want to make an impact as well.
Back in 2015 Sprudge did a writeup about you guys. How have you helped to grow thecoffee culture in North Idaho since then? What’s changed?
Oh man, a lot has changed! The cafe looks a lot better than those photos, and we don’t store any green coffee in the cafe anymore. We’ve done a packaging redesign, opened two more cafes and closed one of those cafes. As a company we’ve grown quite a bit, both in sales and in staff. The three people behind the bar in that photo are still with us, that’s especially cool!
The coffee scene in the area has definitely grown. In our area, the panhandle of Idaho, the local scene extends to the Spokane, WA area as well. A number of new cafes and roasteries have popped up over the years, and more and more customers are both curious about specialty coffee and able to buy specialty coffee locally.
Evans Brothers has been the recipient of a few incredible awards recently. Tell us more what these awards means to you?
These awards mean a lot! Largely I believe that they show our commitment to our mission, which is “To bring value and inspire connection in our communities through exceptional coffee experiences.”
We’ve won four Good Food Awards over the years ’13, ’16, ’23 & ’24. The Good Food Awards are an incredible honor to me, especially after attending the ceremony in 2023. Everyone reading should check them out if you haven’t already! https://goodfoodfdn.org/ The focus of every participant and organizer on the more holistic meaning of good carries a lot of weight for me. Not only should the product objectively taste delicious, but what else is behind it? Environmental, economic, and social responsibility are all taken into account…and I just think that’s rad.
I don’t know who nominated us for the USA Today award, but seeing our name in the running with so many great shops around the country was something special. Even more special was how our community showed up and voted for us! Third place nationally is wild!
Lastly, when it comes to the future of specialty coffee what would you like to see in terms of trends, initiatives, direction? How is Evans Brothers helping to contribute towards those?
– I would love to see farmers continue to be paid a higher and higher wage as time goes on. The “Third Wave” Specialty Coffee industry has been focused on quality first and foremost, but quality can’t exist if producers aren’t making enough to break even. Commitment and consistency from roasters to buy from the same producers year after year is a step in that direction, though the chain has many more people involved and is much more complex than just that.
– I love to see community involvement from roasters and cafes, supporting local and global causes that have a positive impact.
– In a very to-go focused industry, limiting waste is a step that every company should be looking at. We’re finding ways to offer fewer single-use cups, partnering with other local businesses to try to make it an area-wide (and hopefully industry-wide) focus.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story. Is there anything else left that you want to say? Here’s your chance!
Thanks for the feature and the chance to share our story. I could talk for days, so I’ll just try to cut myself off here. Be nice to people and care about the details!
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Contact Info:
web: www.evansbrotherscoffee.com
instagram: @evansbrotherscoffee
email: rick@evansbrotherscoffee.com
Find their beans: If you’re looking to get your hands on some beans then definitely check out their web-store for what they’re currently roasting.
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I just want to say a huge thank you to Daniel from Evans Brothers for helping to share their story. Check out their site, grab yourself some beans, and enjoy!
And for all of you who are truly amazing, and who read this entire feature, Evans Brothers wants to reward your dedication by offering 15% off any order ALL DECEMBER LONG. Just use promo code COMMONLY15 at checkout.
Stay Caffeinated,
Tyler
commonly coffee 