ABOUT SHAWN
Hi, I’m Shawn Anderson. Welcome to Old Town Roasting!
Some of my first memories as a child include coffee. I can’t remember a time when my parents didn’t have a pot of coffee brewed in the kitchen. Coffee was always at the ready for them or for any visitor that may pop in. To me, coffee was a drink of comfort and hospitality and I will always think of it as such. I myself, began drinking coffee in the 4th grade. Not because I loved it, but because I wanted to be like my dad who seemed to always have a cup of coffee within reach. It wasn’t until the early 80’s, when I discovered my first real “coffee house”, that I truly began to love coffee.
Though I’m painfully shy, I love people. More specifically, I love helping people. The first half of my professional life was spent in customer service, trying to do just that. Then the Great Recession hit in 2007 and I found myself without a job. As I looked for work, I spent a lot of my free time at my local coffee house. It was there that I met the men who would become my coffee mentors.
In 2009, I was offered a job as a coffee bagger and I accepted the position with little hesitation. I saw it as a chance to learn more about coffee and I was told I would have a chance to work with the talented roast team. Soon after starting in this position I was a trained as a barista and not long after that, I was promoted to apprentice Roaster.
In the following years I became their Head Wholesale Roaster. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to study with Willem Boot (Boot Coffee), Ted Vautrinot and Jerry Folwell (Kean Coffee) and Andrew Phillips (Rose Park Roasters). I am continually training with peers as well as training others on the unique craft of coffee roasting. I am a proud member of the Roasters Guild of America, the Barista Guild of America and the Specialty Coffee Association of America.
I began Old Town Roasting in 2011 as a way to share my love of coffee and passion for community while having a vehicle for charitable works. As you’ve probably read by now, I have always used 20% of my company’s profits for charity and I always will.
I look forward to roasting for you and sharing coffee, community, and compassion with you.
