I’m often asked to describe or define what the term “loam” means. Simply put, it is dirt. More technically, “Loam is a type of soil that’s got a lot going on: loam contains clay, sand, and decaying organic substances.“ That describes perfectly the soil we build trails and ride on here in the Pacific Northwest. But the Loam Coffee origin story began in a place not known for its rich soil … the Sonoran Desert. So, how did Loam Coffee come into being? Let me tell you a story …
Seemingly forever ago, I lived in southern Arizona and worked as a mountain biking guide. As a result, I spent countless hours out in the desert riding, hiking, exploring, and taking in the spectacular sights and sounds. The desert divides people. Either you love it or hate it. It’s harsh. Everything out there seemingly wants to sting you, bite you, or poison you. But I grew to deeply love the desert. I still do.
When you’re out on the trail hundreds of times a year, you see and experience many things. In this case, I became intimately familiar with Sonoran Desert flora and fauna. Not only that but human history, as we’d regularly encounter unexcavated remains from the Hohokam, who lived in the area between roughly 300 and 1500 CE. From pottery shards to the walls of pit houses to finding intact mortars and pestles, it was a time of discovery, not only what I was finding each time on the trail but also what was going on in my heart and imagination.
I would think and dream about coffee. More than that, but creating a roastery and cafe someday that was focused on bikes. All that time out on the trail, between paying attention to not brushing up against a cactus or zipping by a rattlesnake sunning itself, I had time to think and dream. It was pedaling around on my bike with a plush 80-100mm of fork travel that the idea of Loam Coffee came into being, even though it would take years and moving to the Pacific Northwest to begin acting on it. To put it another way, in biological terms, Loam was conceived in the arid Sonoran Desert and born in the loamy Pacific Northwest.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the origins of Loam Coffee lately. Part of the reason is that I head back to the Sonoran Desert every few months to visit my Mom. As soon as I step outside the airport terminal, I’m greeted by the familiar sights, sounds, and heat of the desert.
Another reason is I’m back in the dreaming and imagination mode. I’ve committed to being transparent with you since I reacquired Loam Coffee just over a year ago. I still think about why I sold it in the first place. What lessons did I learn in the three years out of ownership? More importantly, where is Loam Coffee going now? Or maybe, more aptly put, who or what is Loam Coffee? In an age where so much about business is differentiating you from your competitors, why does Loam Coffee exist? Here’s the vision that captivated me back in the desert and still does today …
Loam is a coffee roasting company that invests in incubating startups and creating jobs in overlooked communities.
That’s it. That’s what makes us who we are and what differentiates us from other coffee brands. That’s why I also view all of the other coffee brands out there as friends and allies. We have a shared love for coffee, and each brand goes about it differently from the next, whether in the kinds of beans that are sourced, how the coffee is roasted, branding and marketing, and so much more. Let me unpack why we exist a little more …
Loam Coffee exists to build community among outdoor adventurers through roasting and selling coffee, hosting and catering events, and creating space to come together. We will leverage our assets and relationships within the outdoor adventure community to increase economic opportunities and income of people in declining communities through setting up cafes, building trails and cycling infrastructure, and incubating new businesses.
That is the vision or mission that motivates me. That was the dream that I lost sight of, which prompted me to sell Loam in 2020 in the first place. Now that I have it back, I continue to rebuild and reorient it around this dream. That’s also why I had to strip everything down to the bare bones to build back up. As of now, Loam is me. I roast, package, and ship the coffee and run our social media and website. It’s just me. I say that because I don’t want to mislead that we’re a massive company. I’m also not embarrassed that it’s only me right now. I have space to dream and let my imagination wander like I did back on those trails in the desert.
Thank you for journeying with me.
