There’s something powerful about knowing where your food comes from and how ethically it gets to your table. That’s what Eddie Holz has been striving for and accomplishing since 2008 when he and his wife opened Bowdon Coffee Roasters on City Hall Avenue in Bowdon. Purchasing green coffee beans directly from the source, Holz not only knows exactly where his coffee comes from but also secures unique flavors that only single-origin, small batch allows.
Coffee production today mixes a small amount of “source coffee”with less expensive beans. For a coffee to be considered “Colombian” it is required that only a small portion of the beans in the bag be from Colombia. Single origin, one hundred percent arabica beans give coffee fans a great cup as well as bag after bag flavor consistency. “Not only is our flavor from bag to bag consistent, our 16o-ounce bag’s price compares well with 10- or 12-ounce chain selections.”
Holz doesn’t claim to be hoity-toity about flavors, but there’s something about the art of using all the beans from one source that creates a signature, full-bodied flavor that can be overlooked when the main focus is caffeine levels.
Holz and his crew roast the green, arabica coffee beans right there in the shop – six pounds at a time for about fifteen minutes. The shop’s namesake comes from this simple activity – an art, even – of freshly roasting coffee right there where the drinks are made.
Although Holz took upon himself to include this extra step in his everyday routines, there are no regrets. He knows from experience and from regulars that his customers appreciate the lengths he takes to secure the best-tasting coffee in town.
Fifteen years ago Holz had anticipated the costs of running a restaurant and made tactful decisions to minimize costs and overall debt. He scavenged the internet and recently-closed restaurants for second-hand equipment, such as his espresso machine and the tables and chairs he still has to this day.
“I had the basics!” he exclaims.
The shop itself, Holz points out, originally stood as one of the breakrooms for a previous business belonging to the textile mill complex. The shop served as the breakroom and is recognized as such at the door with the historical maker. Mysteriously, the break room inexplicably carries the same function for its contemporary constituents today.
Extending from the room, however, is the iconic drive-thru lane. Installed seven months before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Holz didn’t predict how crucial the addition would be to keeping his business afloat during those trying months, nor could he have known how pivotal it would become to post-pandemic business. In hindsight, Holz says that he should have built the drive-thru sooner, as it has always been a successful part of their sales.
To celebrate their fifteenth anniversary, BCR created commemorative shirts and hats available for purchase or free for frequent customers who use their awards program. Follow their Facebook or Instagram for more anniversary and general business updates!
