Carrier Roasting Co. is a specialty coffee roaster based in the rural town of Northfield, Vermont, driven by core values of hospitality, quality, community, transparency, and a desire to improve. The company takes its name from the humble carrier pigeon, who always finds her way home from a distant place to deliver an important message. To Carrier Roasting, the distant place may be Ethiopia or Peru, while the message is the story and taste of expertly grown coffee.
The company operates with deep connections to their local agricultural community, reflecting the transparent relationships found in rural Vermont. They accept personal milk deliveries from local dairy farmers, buy goat's milk caramel sauce from nearby farms, and source pastries from local bakers. This philosophy of supporting local producers extends to their coffee sourcing practices.
Carrier Roasting has two main criteria for selecting coffees: quality and transparency of supply. They prioritize these over third-party certifications, paying on average nearly three times more than the current Fair Trade minimum price. By focusing on transparency, they identify and build long-term relationships with individual producers, valuing everyone in the supply chain including importers and exporters.
The company recognizes that the hardest work happens at coffee's origin and that coffee beans are seeds of sweet tropical fruit. Their roasting approach employs progressive techniques and data-driven methods to properly develop the unique flavors of each coffee without over-, under-, or uneven roasting. Every batch is tasted to ensure quality and refinement.
Carrier Roasting operates two locations: their flagship coffee bar and roastery in Northfield, and a coffee bar in Burlington's Old North End inside Jake's ONE Market. They serve handcrafted espresso drinks, drip coffee, tea, and locally made baked goods. The company was honored to be included in Roastful Coffee's 2023 list of the Top 50 Roasters in the World.
Their coffee offerings include single origin coffees that rotate seasonally and are roasted lighter to highlight unique qualities, along with year-round offerings like Chit Chat (a rotating blend of two coffees) and Deep Thought (a darker expression of single origins). They offer various purchasing options including online ordering with roast-to-order service, subscriptions, and retail availability at stockists.