Lee Ulrich loves coffee! it was Lee’s search for the perfect cup of java led him to open his own roasting business out of his basement in 2006! A lot has changed since that time but Lee’s passion for roasting and creating great tasting coffees has remined the same
Today Lee owns and operates Iowa Coffee Roasters, a wholesale business that provides coffee to Stillwater Coffee Company in Hiawatha and Feedwell Kitchen and Bakery in Cedar Rapids. He also ships coffee across the country in addition to operating Beans, Teas and Other Things retail store in Marion.
Lee enjoys making new coffee’s, bringing them to market and then watching people enjoy the roast. He uses beans sourced from Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Sumatra, Burundi, Papua New Guinea, Honduras, India, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Peru, El Salvador and Haiti to create over 70 different single origin, blends and flavored coffees! And this doesn’t even include the decafs.
Once the beans are selected the real magic happens in the two 5 kilo Ambex roasters in Lee’s shop. The red one in the photo above is Lucy, Lee’s newest roaster. He continues to also use Ethel, the first roaster Lee purchased in 2006. Roast times and temperatures are programed in and then closely monitored for each coffee.
If the magic happens inside the roaster chamber, the real joy happens when you smell the freshly roasted beans being discharged. It’s glorious enough to bring even a non-coffee drinker to their knees! It’s in this moment that you understand why Lee so loves roasting coffee!
As much as Lee loves roasting coffee, his favorite part of the business is his customers. “I love customer interaction and enjoy making new connections.
Lee sees his business journey as a God thing. “Coffee roasting has been a God path for me. I have never had a clearer path laid out for me. From starting the business, to the details like a bank and God’s favor on buildings and equipment, my success has been from the Lord. He is my CEO, CFO and I daily commit my business to him. Looking back, I’m really proud of our roots and where we have come from. It’s been a journey full of twists and turns, and I have met some amazing people along the way.”
