I’ve had the opportunity over the past decade-plus to spend a considerable amount of time down in Arizona. It’s a state that continues to impress me with the caliber of specialty coffee roasters, cafes, and creators.
And while the days are hot, the coffee scene is even hotter. And in a state where water may seem sparse, there is no such shortage to brew a tasty pour-over, or pull some shots of espresso for an iced latte. And one such coffee roaster that has embraced life in this sun-soaked valley is none other than our Coffee Roaster of the Month for April. Let me introduce you to Zach & Sarah from Wilderbloom Coffee.
It’s so great to get the chance to connect with you! Help our audience get to know you a bit better…
We are a husband and wife roasting team (Zach and Sarah), selling coffee online and doing various pop-ups/events throughout the year! We love people, the outdoors, and good coffee.
We first got into coffee while we were in college, studying engineering. We would go on coffee dates to local shops (shoutout to Peixoto and PAIR Cupworks) and we found ourselves constantly wondering about what we were drinking. Why does this coffee taste so fruity? How does processing impact the quality? What makes a cup of coffee “good”? Like the nerds we are, we approached it like a research project hahah
After many years of connecting with coffee professionals, being home baristas, reading books and literature, and roasting for fun, we launched Wilderbloom! Since launching, we’ve found our niche in doing special events, with the support of our friends in the industry.
Before we go much further, share with our readers what you’re drinking/enjoying these days when it comes to coffee!
(Sarah) I love trying different coffees from various roasters, brewed as pour-overs. On a recent trip to Northern CA, I visited a multi-roaster shop and picked up a delicious Rwanda Anoxic from Process Coffee. It’s straight fire!
(Zach) I love a good coffee mocktail. And it’s been fun to see more companies branching out and getting creative on new drinks. We recently released a really delicious semi-washed anaerobic coffee from Tarrazu in Costa Rica and I’ve been using this coffee as a base for lots and lots of different mocktail recipes. I’m trying to find the perfect balance of ingredients to compliment the beans, and the options are endless!
So, I see you originally launched Wilderbloom in Tempe, later moved to Portland, and then recently announced you were moving back to Arizona. What have these two cities taught you about the specialty coffee community?
Great question! We’re born and raised in Arizona, so we’ve seen the specialty coffee industry really grow over the years. And more than that, we’ve been welcomed in to the community with so much kindness and collaboration. As a primarily e-commerce business, we don’t have a storefront. But multiple shops have partnered with us to do in-person events, where we can connect with our customers and create some unique beverages!
When we moved to Portland, we were nervous to “start fresh” without the community we had built back home. But, just like in Tempe, we were welcomed in to the coffee community in Portland with kindness and collaboration (shoutout to Joe from PDX Coffee Club and Spencer from Juniors)! We really fell in love with the city and the people there.
We moved back to AZ for non-coffee reasons, but we have brought back a lot of our experiences. And those memories have inspired how we’re going to approach events/ drinks moving forwards. So, in a way, its like we’re connecting these two communities that we love.
And so now relocating back to Tempe, AZ…what is commonly known as a vibrant college-town, is also a vibrant coffee-town. Share with our readers what you love about this city and its coffee culture.
Tempe is a beautiful city. Since it’s a college town, the city is full of diverse cultures and people. With that comes lots of delicious foods and ingredients, which we get to enjoy at other businesses and use in our own recipes. Trying new things broadens our perspective of life and our palette.
Also, Tempe is located in the Sonoran Desert, with lots of access to mountains and hiking trails. Being outdoors is a major source of inspiration for us, so we love that aspect of the city.
The coffee community here is alive and bustling! There are frequent events for coffee people, such as latte-art throw-downs, public cuppings, and drink competitions. If you go to any shop, you’re bound to run into people that you know. It makes everything feel connected and inclusive.
I hear you’ve got a big pop-up happening this month in Tempe. For anyone who calls Tempe home, or who might be visiting in April, share more about what’s happening.
This will our biggest event to date, and we are so excited about it! It’s on April 25 and 26th, and we’re using it to celebrate Earth day (aka the best day of the year). The event is called: Create-a-coffee/ jazz/photography exhibition.
The idea for the event started with a question. “What inspires us to create?”
Over the past few years, life has gotten more complex and challenging. At times, it can feel a little overwhelming. But, while talking with our friends, we’ve seen how powerful it can be to create something for yourself. And we’ve seen how inspirational it is to see someone else’s creative works. So, our event is centered on showcasing 3 aspects of creativity (coffee, jazz, photography), with the hope that one of them will resonate with people and inspire them. We’re partnering with an incredible musician and some amazing photographers, and we’re very honored to feature them!
If anyone wants to stay in the loop, we’ll be posting all of the info on Instagram @wilderbloomcoffee 🙂
You talk a lot on your website how “every coffee contains an adventure.” What does that look like for you as a company? How do you live this out?
Although we are big coffee nerds, we understand that giving too much information to customers can be overwhelming. So, every coffee that we release has a unique name, based on the way that we hope the coffee will make you feel. For example, one of our coffees is called “New Nostalgia”, which is the Costa Rican coffee that Zach mentioned before. It has a delightful note of cinnamon and undercurrents of floral plums. This reminds us of some nostalgic memories of baking with family, which is how we got the name. To us, all of these feeling and experiences are “the adventure” of coffee. We get to explore them all together and share what we find!
Your packaging is unlike anything I think I’ve ever seen before in specialty coffee. Where did that inspiration come from?
Thank you! We worked with our good friend at Studio Van Bebber to create the design.
When owning a small business, you have the control to make choices that you personally care about. And, as you might have noticed, we’re big fans of the Earth. So, we wanted to use packaging that was recyclable, biodegradable, or reusable.
The canisters that we use are made of paper, so they can be recycled. But, our hope is that people like them so much that they find alternative uses for them! Inside each cannister is a biodegradable bag, which ensures that the coffee stays fresh.
We wanted the design of the canister to be as nature-focused as our choices in the material selection. Hidden amongst the leaves on the tube are the words “Adventure Is In Here”, to remind us that coffee is meant to be fun.
I see on your site that for each canister sold you donate a portion of your proceeds towards the National Parks Foundation. What led you to incorporate that into your company values?
We LOVE the National Parks! As a couple, one of our bucket-list items is to visit every National Park in the US. We love seeing the diverse ecosystems that exist all around us and we love being filled with a sense of awe and wonder for nature. It has impacted us so profoundly that we want everyone to have the opportunity to experience it for themselves. So, to ensure that the Parks are protected and maintained for future generations, we decided to incorporate that into our company’s values. Although we’re only a small business, we can take intentional steps towards the future that we want to see!
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!
Thank you for having us! In case we haven’t said it enough, we are so full of gratitude to the coffee community. We love the opportunities to connect with people and share our passions, so we hope to meet in-person soon 🙂
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Contact Info:
web: www.wilderbloomcoffeeroasters.com
instagram: @wilderbloomcoffee
email: wilderbloomcoffeeroasters@gmail.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 Sarah & Zach from Wilderbloom for helping to share their story. Check out their site, grab yourself some beans, and enjoy!
Stay Caffeinated,
Tyler
commonly coffee 