Wake Up and Smell the Coffee Roasting

STARKVILLE, MS - Courtesy of The Dispatch and Grant McLaughlin

Kenneth Thomas, owner of Umble Coffee Co., First opened his coffee roasting business, Umble Coffee, in 2017; just this past June, the increased business he has earned over the years opened up a cafe on Industrial Park Road, which incorporates his roastery: “I like coffee and I like beer, and everybody and their mama in 2016 was getting into microbreweries . . . the further I got into coffee, the more I learned how healthy it is when done correctly. It can be healthier than green tea, red wine, blueberries, acai, and so I thought I would try to figure out coffee.”

He spent his first few years selling his high-quality coffee wholesale, rapidly discovering that his primary market was right here in the Golden Triangle. He has since been doing business with local bakeries, restaurants, and others, including MSU, Ole Miss, and Kroger to bring his blends to the masses. “It’s been a great collaboration because they were looking for a local coffee roaster, and of course, we’re always looking to grow because the business is a volume game,” Thomas said. “That has helped stabilize us as a company, and MSU and Ole Miss dining services have both been great partners to work with. It’s fun being able to give coffee to like tens of thousands of college students.” He also hosts a podcast called "Coffee 101."

Thomas plans to expand his roastery further, and even conduct tours of it someday. He is also looking ever forward, seeking to get his product into more and more stores: “We would like to be in more grocery stores, more bakeries and breakfast places and we’d like to be dominant in the Southeast,” he said. “… This business is fun, and I really enjoy doing it. To anybody who wants to do something like it, I think you inherently can succeed if you enjoy it.”

Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/2023-07-18/community-profile-kenneth-thomas-turns-passion-for-good-coffee-into-thriving-business/