Checking In With Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters

Photo credit: Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters

I recently reached out to James Helms, owner of Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters and Espresso Bar, to get an idea of what’s new with them and he responded with a lot of great updates. Here is what they are doing these days.

Behind the Scenes: the Coffee

James (now the sole owner at RBCR) continues to deeply value an ethical approach to the part he plays in the world of coffee commerce. He is committed to working directly with farmers and implementing a robust custom pricing structure. He also recognizes how broad the act of coffee roasting can be and that, while it’s fascinating to learn about the different coffees in various regions around the globe, it is all about one farm, one region for Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters.

James tells us, “The bulk of our coffee is focused on going deep, one coffee, one farm year over year. By buying direct from a farm well over fair trade prices we can deepen our relationship and have a profound impact on the farms sustainability. We have been able to see how a successful farm can significantly overflow an abundance mindset into the broader community. “

Currently they are working with Erlin Barillas at Coffeerama farms outside of Cabañas, Honduras. They also maintain a partnership with Ally Coffee to handle the logistics. “This has been instrumental in our successful coffee program,” James explains. Plus, how great is it that they ware working with Reb Peters Press, an local, old-school letterpress company, which prints the Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters coffee bags!

The Pastry Program

The Rocky Butte Espresso Bar (8505 NE Fremont Street) has been able to expand their pastry offerings this year. For that, they have partnered with VilleVelo (1465 NE Prescott Street, in that cute commercial corner) and now have daily deliveries of both sweet and savory pastries. Some of the taste treats you may find at the espresso bar:

Blueberry scones—a mainstay that can go fast.
Savory tarts—both meat and vegetarian options. The tarts are quiche-like but do not contain egg: think mushroom-onion-goat cheese to sausage, bacon or bratwurst-peppers-onion cheddar. Above all, they are fresh and full of flavor.
Ham and cheese danish (daily!)
Berry danishes—look for marionberry, raspberry, or blueberry, all with a vanilla glaze.

About the Espresso Drinks

James talked a little bit about how they’ve developed their espresso drinks: “We have a standard double shot in both our 6oz lidless Cortado and our 12oz latte. We are continuing to emphasize balance in a 12oz cup (or less) over volume.”

As far as the espresso bar space goes, it has transformed from basically a walk-up scenario to tables and chairs and a small stage, as we’ve moved through the pandemic. They work to maximize the square footage they have there (it can feel a little small sometimes) in part to be in service of having “walkable coffee”—where you can walk over to your local cafe—in the neighborhood. This sort of thing is easy to take for grated in a lot of parts of Portland but it’s something that you don’t always see in underrepresented neighborhoods. It’s presence in Madison South is meaningful to those nearby. (And to those of us in surrounding neighborhoods, too!)

Community-Building

“We lead with a focus on people-place-coffee,” says James. These are three core priorities that have been with the company from the start.

He continues: “The last couple months we’ve been able to reinforce our distinctive focus on building community. Bringing the community together through coffee and being able to offer community leaders a place to gather is a big part of our dream with the company.” They’ve hosted music nights, game nights, philosophy gatherings and now monthly community potlucks. You can read more about their community gatherings and check out their calendar of events on the Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters website.

Community initiatives are demonstrated throughout the cafe space—this is seen on the Hope & Dream boards or through the seed, tea and book libraries. These are all community led and maintained in the space—ongoing community support and leadership are key to keeping them up and running.

I’m so happy to see the impact Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters and the Espresso Bar are making in Madison South, Portland, and the world. From great coffee to tasty pastries, community events to myriad community-led mini libraries, and important work with their partners at Coffeerama farm, these efforts are making a difference. Many thanks to James for catching us up on all the excellent things he and his team are doing.

I hope you can head on over to get a great cup of coffee at the cafe and pick up a bag (or two) of their beans (my favorite remains the Boulder Blend). They’ll also have a presence at the upcoming Rocky Butte Farmers Market, so be sure to stop by when you see them!

Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters
Rocky Butte Espresso Bar
8505 NE Fremont Street, Portland (espresso bar location)
rockybuttecoffee.com | Facebook | Instagram (espresso bar) | Instagram (roasters)