Check Out Colin Shepherd’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Colin Shepherd.

Hi Colin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story has always been about coffee. My earliest memory is sneaking sips of my mom’s coffee- loaded up with French vanilla creamer, sitting at our kitchen table. Fast forward to being a bit closer to “an adult,” and I was eager to actually work in the industry after drinking so much of the stuff growing up. After high school, once I decided I was done being a youth soccer referee and part-time dishwasher, I landed a job at a coffee shop on my college campus in Cincinnati in 2014. That’s where I fell even deeper in love with it all. They planted the seed and opened my eyes to how diverse, simple, or beautifully complicated coffee could be. Even though it was just a stepping stone, I have to give them credit for opening the door to specialty coffee for me.

Unfortunately, after a few months, some factors beyond my control forced me to leave my campus job and move back home to Toledo, Ohio. I immediately looked for a new gig and landed at Plate 21, a true neighborhood cafe tucked away in South Toledo. The space was cozy and welcoming to everyone, but they took their coffee incredibly serious… Especially for 2014 standards! They were, and still are, a true third space and a huge contributor to specialty coffee in Northwest Ohio (and they serve Mom ‘n ’em Coffee now.. Full Circle!)

I spent nearly six years at Plate 21, starting from the bottom and working my way through just about every role. Along the way, I built up a massive love for hospitality and specialty coffee. By the time I left, I was helping run daily operations and working full-time as the head barista. Plate 21 is really where I developed my passion for the science behind coffee and the importance of continued education in hospitality.

My decision to leave eventually came down to two things: I was in love with Cincinnati, and I felt I had hit the ceiling for what I could learn (at the time) in Toledo. I needed a fresh environment and wanted to keep growing.

In March 2020, my wife and I made the move to Cincinnati, and immediately ran into the covid-19 pandemic. I was out of the industry for nearly 14 months, and it felt like forever. It genuinely felt like a piece of me was missing. That became even more obvious when I finally started working at Mom ‘n ’em. My demeanor and mental health improved instantly; my wife even noticed it after my first shift. I was exactly where I needed to be.

I was eager to get back into a leadership mindset, and fortunately, Tony and Austin Ferrari (the owners of Mom ‘n ’em) offered me a management position after about six months. To say I was grateful is an understatement. Back during my original interview, one of the main questions I asked them was, “Do you think you’ll ever want to roast?” I was hungry to learn and expand my knowledge. Their response was a resounding, “Maybe! We’re not roasters, but if someone comes along who can roast, we’d consider it.” I took that as, “Learn how to roast, and we can start roasting!” hahaha

Over the next year, I kept dropping hints to Tony and Austin that we should start our own roasting operation. Once I showed them how much we could impact the lives of farmers at origin, improve our cup quality, and turn this business into a long-term career for so many folks, they told me, “If your heart is in it, let’s make it happen.” The roasting business started right then and there.

I dove in headfirst. I essentially built the roasting program from the ground up, pouring my own systems and coffee philosophies into it all. We started small, but we’ve grown comfortably over the last three-plus years. We work with incredible farmers who are innovating in their own regions, helping pave the way for advanced processing methods, and biodynamic & regenerative farming practices. The coffees I source and roast are best described as light, bright, and expressive!

Today, I’m our Director of Coffee and lead the roasting operation. We roast to order every Wednesday and Thursday, and we now have over 140 partners who brew and sell our coffee and wholesale goods. It’s all backed by the fact that we really do roast with love. Our hearts are in it! hahahaha

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
To call it a ‘smooth road’ is an understatement! Every journey has it’s ups and downs. For us, we built the entire foundations of the roasting business as grassroots as possible. We started very small, and worked our way up. The biggest struggle was learning the cashflow of a coffee roasting business compared to what we were used to within the cafes.

In the roasting world, the cashflow has huge dips & gradual peaks because you’re ordering $20,000+ of green (unroasted) coffee or supplies at a time, on a weekly basis sometimes. This investment is then converted into profit in larger wholesale orders the course of a few weeks, so it takes a while to earn that back, especially in the beginning.

In the cafe world, you’re likely spending a couple thousand on inventory, and making that profit back on hundreds and thousands of small transactions.

After we got comfortable with the new type of cashflow, we felt much more comfortable with operations.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Day-to-day is pretty complicated! Having my hands in everything coffee related at Mom ‘n ’em keeps me very busy. My full title is technically Director of Coffee, Wholesale, Training, QC, and Sales… So while we are small, I spread out my responsibilities for each section of my role over the course of the week.

On the production side, we specialize in diverse & impactful coffees from innovative farmers. Our roasting is quite light in comparison to some other coffees out there, and we value this because we can truly show off the hard work, love, and dedication our producing partners have put into the coffee. We want to accentuate the terroir, varietal, and processing of the coffee. As roasters, we bridge the gap from ‘agricultural product’ to ‘ingredient’.

The one thing I am the most proud about is our Guatemalan coffee. We work with a small cooperative in San Antonio Huista; a 3 hour drive through the mountains outside Huehuetenango. Alongside this cooperative being the group we purchase the most coffee from every year, we are also helping invest in earthworm composting & biochar kiln production on these farms! Earthworms can live to be nearly 10-15 years old in the right environment, and if they are well-fed, they will continually produce ample quantities of fertilizer. Coffee processing waste and general organic waste/scraps are fed to these earthworms to get fertilizer for the farms. On the other side, hulled coffee cherries are dried out and placed in biochar kilns to go through all of the stages of pyrolysis & carbonization. After it is complete, it essentially becomes activated charcoal! When combining these, and using it on the coffee trees, the farmers can help lower their use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers (which can often times be one of the most expensive substances on the farm.) Doing this alongside regular pruning of the coffee trees ensure they are getting maximal crop yield, and happy/healthy coffee trees!

I feel like our roast approach, and attraction to innovative producers sets us apart. The coffees we bring onto our menu are very high-end, and have incredible, very evident tasting notes. This is all because of the advanced processing methods our producing partners utilize to ensure the best tasting coffee possible while still treating their local ecosystem with love & care.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Honesty, transparency, communication, product quality, and hospitality! All factors are equally as important.

Pricing:

• Ferrari Bros Blend 12oz ($19)
• Wake it Up! Shake it Up! 12oz (19)
• Lights Out Decaf 12oz ($19)
• Franklin’s Coconut Cold Brew Canned Beverage 11oz ($4.99)
• Secret Stash Drops 8oz ($22-30) (Text-to-order only)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://momnemcoffee.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momnemcoffee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/momnemcoffee/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/roaster_colin/