WENDELL, NC – What started as mere curiosity has flourished into a growing business. Even during the pandemic, Workbench Roasters in Wendell, NC has been providing its customers with fresh coffee throughout the pandemic and is a growing part of the community.
“After retiring from Ford Motor Company and moving to Wendell, I decided it was time to start a new hobby, roasting coffee,” said Michael Carty, owner of Workbench Roasters. “I spent hours roasting and refining and drinking coffee at my workbench, so the name was right in front of me.”
Once Michael learned how to roast coffee, he began sharing it with his family, friends, and neighbors. They encouraged him to stop giving it away and start selling it, which is exactly what he did.
“That was the beginning,” Michael said. “I started selling within our neighborhood in May 2020, during the midst of the pandemic and stay-at-home order from our governor. My customer base grew by word of mouth as most everyone was working from home and loved fresh roasted coffee delivered to their doorstep.”
Starting a business during a pandemic is borderline impossible, so Michael had to get creative with his marketing and promotion of his products. Michael decided on using the power of farmer’s markets to get his coffee in front of as many people as possible. Even with the restrictions, he was able to use the smell of fresh roasted coffee to sell his products to people. Our Artisan XL coffee roaster simplified the process of roasting green beans.
“We always have an open ‘smelling jar’ of each of our beans we sell,” Michael explained. “It’s amazing how the smell sells it. People walking by our booth who are not avid coffee drinkers often smell the beans and stop to check them out. Most often they leave with a bag or two and many of these people have become regular customers of ours.”
You can find more information on Workbench Roasters by using the following links:
Website: https://www.workbenchroasters.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkbenchRoasters/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/workbenchroasters/
