Rad Beanz Coffee roasts beans to order and hand delivers in Bend
Published 11:45 am Wednesday, June 7, 2023
- The Nicaraguan blend at Rad Benz Coffee Co. has notes of sugar cane, orange and almond.
Each order received by Rad Beanz Coffee Co. is custom roasted.
Malachi Smith, 40, roasts the beans with a 3-pound roaster, pens a handwritten note and delivers the order the following day to customers in the Bend area.
“If they’re going to be buying my product, I’ll go the extra step,” he said.
Passion for coffee flows through Smith’s veins. He has worked in the specialty coffee industry for a decade, including stretches at Lone Pine Coffee Roasters, as a manager at Backporch Coffee Roasters and by helping to launch Sisters Coffee Company’s location in the Old Mill District, he said.
Through his managerial role at Backporch Coffee, Smith had the privilege of visiting Costa Rica and watching how the beans were grown, picked, sun-dried, bagged and shipped.
As he watched farmers work from sun up to sun down, his appreciation for the accessibility of coffee in the U.S. deepened.
“We’re fortunate to be drinking it,” he said.
Smith currently offers three types of coffee beans — Nicaraguan, Colombian and decaf Colombian. The beans are sold in eight-ounce bags priced at $12 each. Beans are also available for wholesale.
The Colombian offers notes of caramel, green apple and hazelnut, making it a perfect breakfast drink and the most forward notes of the Nicaraguan beans are sugar cane, orange and almond, Smith said.
Smith chose to sell his beans in 12-ounce bags instead of 16-ounce bags to keep them as fresh as possible.
And since he roasts to order, he’s open to roasting to customer request, including light, medium, dark, espresso or an alternate roast profile.
Smith is generous with his product and fueled by a desire to support nonprofits. He is currently searching for organizations that benefit youth and people with Down syndrome to support. He said the causes are close to his heart because he faced a difficult youth and has cousins with Down syndrome.
Smith hopes to continue working in the coffee industry for the rest of his life.
Within the next year, he hopes to grow from a 3-pound roaster in his garage to a 10- or 20-pound roaster. His five-year plan is to purchase a big-batch roaster and a coffeehouse. He also hopes to see his product in stores and mom-and-pop shops across Bend.
When customers purchase beans from Rad Beanz Coffee, they’re not buying from a corporation.
They’re supporting Smith, his wife who owns a salon in Bend and his 7-year-old daughter, Ocean.
“It makes people feel like they’re part of something bigger and something special, instead of just going to the store,” Smith said.
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Location: Online-based business
Contact: 541-639-9848, radbeanzcoffee@gmail.com, @radbeanzcoffee
Hours: N/A
Price Range: $12 for an 8-ounce bag, wholesale prices available
Cuisine: Coffee
“It makes people feel like they’re part of something bigger and something special, instead of just going to the store.”