Twenty one members and guests of The Fifty Plus Group toured Kaldi Coffee Roasting Co. headquarters on Wednesday, Nov. 20. The group was treated to a coffee sample. In addition to telling us of the history of the Kaldi Co., the tour guide educated us about coffee.
She told us of the countries where Kaldi purchases the beans, which are African and South American. She explained how they choose the farmers or companies they work with, which involves Kaldi tasters. The beans are shipped largely by boat. We were told of the areas where Kaldi has its 19 stores. They are mostly Missouri cities and the Atlanta area. There was a room in the building where baristas have extensive training. We saw offices where purchasing, repair and other administrative operations are conducted. And, we got to see the actual process of coffee roasting happening in the World War ll era machines purchased in Germany after the war. Better than new ones, they say. It was a good smelling building! The bags of green beans (yes, they are green before roasting) were also stored in the building.
Kaldi does have a tea company which is located elsewhere. We were able to purchase from a limited supply of Kaldi products since this location does not stock many sale items. We were also sent home with some interesting burlap bags that once contained beans. They are decorative and useful in the garden, they say.
After the tour, we enjoyed lunch at Rigazzis on The Hill.