Community Highlights: Meet Ryan Brannon of Bent Tree Coffee Roasters, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Brannon.

Ryan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started Bent Tree Coffee Roasters in Kent, Ohio about fifteen years ago with my business partner, Mike. Before that, I spent years playing in bands and touring out of Kent, and that DIY music scene had a big influence on how I approach business. It was a community of people creating things from the ground up, supporting each other, and building something meaningful locally.

Coffee started as a personal passion. I became fascinated with how much craftsmanship and science goes into roasting and brewing great coffee. What began as a small roasting project gradually grew into a full business. From the beginning, we focused on quality, strong relationships, and being part of the local community.

Over time, Bent Tree has grown from a small startup into a company that roasts coffee for cafes, grocery stores, churches, and restaurants across the region, while also operating our downtown Kent cafe. We now have a great team handling roasting, production, delivery, and retail.

Today, the business continues to grow, but our focus is still the same. We want to roast great coffee, support our partners, and contribute to the community that helped build us.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road. Like most small businesses, a big part of the challenge has been learning as you go. When we started, we were passionate about coffee, but we had to figure out the realities of running and growing a business in real time, everything from hiring and operations to financing and long term planning.

There have also been broader challenges, including economic uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and rising costs. Coffee is a global agricultural product, so things like climate, shipping, and commodity pricing can impact the business in ways that are outside your control.

Another challenge has been managing growth responsibly. As demand increases, you have to invest in equipment, people, and systems while still maintaining the quality and relationships that built the business in the first place.

At the same time, those challenges have been some of the most valuable learning experiences. They’ve pushed us to improve, adapt, and build a stronger team. Looking back, many of the hardest moments ended up shaping the company in positive ways.

We’ve been impressed with Bent Tree Coffee Roasters, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bent Tree Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee company based in Kent, Ohio. We roast and serve high quality coffee while partnering with cafes, restaurants, grocery stores, churches, and offices throughout the region. In addition to our downtown cafe, a large part of our work is supporting wholesale partners with coffee, equipment support, and training.

What sets Bent Tree apart is our focus on long term relationships and consistency. We work closely with importers to source high quality green coffee and roast it in a way that highlights each origin. At the same time, we prioritize reliability. Whether it’s a busy cafe or a grocery store shelf, our goal is to deliver a product people can trust every time.

We’re also proud to be deeply rooted in the Kent community. Bent Tree grew out of the creative and entrepreneurial culture here, and we’ve always tried to reflect that in how we operate. Many of our customers and partners have been with us for years, which means a lot to us.

More than anything, we want people to see Bent Tree as a company that cares about quality, relationships, and community. Coffee is part of people’s daily routine, and it’s rewarding to know we play a small role in that.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
One thing that might surprise people is that before starting Bent Tree, I spent years playing in bands and touring out of Kent. I was part of the independent music scene in the late 90s and early 2000s, which was a really creative and collaborative time for the city.

That experience shaped how I approach business today. The DIY mindset from the music world taught me how to build something from the ground up, work closely with a community, and stay resilient when things don’t go as planned.

In a way, both music and coffee are about creating experiences that bring people together. Looking back, the path from playing shows in small venues to building a coffee company makes more sense than it might seem.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://benttreecoffee.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benttreecoffee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benttreecoffee
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bent-tree-coffee-roasters-kent