Page 36 - Flathead Beacon // 8.20.14

36 | AUGUST 20, 2014
BUSINESS
By XAVIER FLORY
WHITEFISH – When R.C. Beall called his friend Scott Brant in the middle of the night in 1980, there was not a single coffee roaster between
Spokane and Minneapolis.
“How about we roast some cof-
fee?” Beall asked.
“I know nothing about coffee,”
Brant replied.
The next day, Brant went to the
library and borrowed “All About Coffee,” a kid’s book.
“Coffee is this exotic and mysteri- ous product, grown all over the world in places I had never heard of,” Brant said. “I was hooked.”
The following year – 1981 – Montana Coffee Traders was born.
“People didn’t know what cof- fee roasting was about, there wasn’t awareness,” Brant said.
Even though it was a resort town, “Whitefish was different in those days and people struggled to make a living,” but he was confident of suc- cess because once you’ve had fresh coffee, “You can never go back.”
In the first months, the roasters would invite passersby to come in and taste a fresh cup of their coffee. Then they would serve canned coffee and let them decide for themselves. Brant also traveled all over the state, inviting coffee shops and stores to try his freshly roasted brews.
“We could roast and ship in one day, and you could be serving the
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Retiring
Retiring
SCOTT BRANT STARTS NEW VENTURE
AFTER 33 YEARS AT MONTANA COFFEE TRADERS,
on
on
Caffeine
Caffeine
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