Larry’s Beans 2.12.09
Now we’re getting serious. Today as a part of my continued study, I went to Raleigh to visit Larry of Larry’s Beans. I was greeted by my friend Joe, who works at Larry’s full-time when he’s not touring with his (and my husband’s) band, Megafaun.
As we walked up to the facility, there were many things to notice…. #1 a bio-diesel pump for the delivery bus. #2 cats a plenty #3 gangster rap bumping from the bagging station.
From start to finish with this visit, Phil and I were greeted with enthusiasm. When I started emailing Brad Lienhart, chief roaster, about a month ago, he was eager to help in anyway possible. Likewise, the minute we sat down to talk with Larry, he beamed with excitement.
This visit proved to be more about the business of coffee than about coffee itself, an interesting turn from my previous cafe visits. Larry began our interview by highlighting his “green” business model and defining the Coffee Cooperative model.
As we toured the facilities, various items were pointed out: recovered wood used for the stairs from old barns and buildings around NC, greenhouse roofing and glass blocked walls for natural light, rain reservoirs used for toilets and sinks and intense recycling systems for both the business and its employees.
Larry gave us a timeline of how he got into coffee. He started out in Georgia, studying alternative economics. When it became clear to him that the program was not going to allow him the “alternatives” he was looking for, he transferred to NC State. During his years with the ‘wolf pack’, he was working for the original Cup-of-Joe. When he became disenfranchised with NC State’s program, Larry saw his oppertunity in the coffee world. He started first with a coffee house and then with a roasting facility. Building a sustainable business was not always his interest, but once he started, it became infectious.
The coffee cooperative was another point that I was interested in. When you belong, you yourself travel to at least one location once a year to pick up your coffee. Fair Trade coffee, while likely more maintenance for the purchasers, is a model of business that protects the farmers and encourages honest business practices. Larry told us about his first time visiting a farm and seeing a “real-live-honest-to-goodness” coffee plant. Since then, he continues to visit with the farmers and their families. Recently, he developed a project to raise money for farmers by recording, producing and distributing CD’s of the music that local farmer/musicians make. He said that the music of Nicaragua reminds him of the perfect blend of Central America and Appalachia.
Finally, Larry spoke to something…before I could get my one journalistic question in…that I have heard in the rumor mill about his philosophy on selling and distributing coffee. He said, “I used to be a coffee snob, I used to think that I didn’t have to sell my coffee to people who didn’t know what to do with it”. However, he explains that now, he sees it more as an opportunity to share a good product with lots of folks. He says that he does take time to teach people and encourage them best practice in the ways of grinding and brewing, but he recognizes that ultimately, it’s up to them once he’s passed the beans on.
Lienhart explained that Larry’s had recently signed a contract with Rex hospitals as the exclusive supplier for their hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
Larry’s Beans is distributed widely around the triangle from grocery stores to coffee shops, it is a local favorite.
For me, it’s a delicate match of high quality product meets high quality people, wrapped up with a big, recycled, biodegradable bow.
