Introducing: Front Door Coffee
If you’re here, first of all, thank you for your participation in our journey. This project is something we have been working towards since before we first opened our business back in 2021, but that is a story for another day. Today I want clear up some things that may have been confusing about the relationship between Living Room Roasters and Front Door Coffee. First let’s revisit what Living Room Roasters is about, then I’ll do the same for Front Door Coffee.
What We Do
Living Room Roasters will continue its operations in Downtown Toccoa as it has for the last three plus years- functioning primarily as a retail store where you can purchase whole bean and ground coffee that has been freshly roasted and packaged right there in the store. We also sell a variety of brew gear along with several local vendor items like honey from Farm 328, greeting cards designed by Sydney Carlson Art, beef jerky from TexGa Farms, and more.
We also have our online store where you can purchase bags of coffee, loose leaf teas, and the brew gear we have in-store. One of our favorite offerings is our online subscriptions. When you subscribe your coffee is slightly discounted and you get free shipping. You can choose between getting your favorite roast profile, or rotate through all of our current coffees, and we’ll send it right to your house once a week, every other week, or once a month!
We also have several wholesale partnerships that we roast coffee for other coffee businesses. If you know of anyone looking for a place to source their coffee, send them our way!
Secondarily, we do have a limited drink menu (that will likely become even more limited once Front Door is open). We like to tell our customers that it is an opportunity to “try before you buy.” We rotate through all our coffees and post on our socials what’s on drip every day we’re open and you always have the option to get any of our beans brewed using an Origami Pour Over or an AeroPress. This way, you can try all our current coffees, decide what you like most, purchase a bag, and make it at home the exact same way we make it in the store- no espresso machine, no steam, just really good filter brew coffee.
Our Purpose: Coffee = Connection
Our mission statement is, “To connect with others, and see other people connected by being the living room of our city.” Our first goal is fostering community followed closely by making really good coffee. Anywhere there is coffee, I would argue, you will always find some form of community. Our hope is that you will use our coffee as an avenue to connect with your neighbors, friends (new and old), family, and even strangers. We wholeheartedly believe that life is better together, and coffee tastes better when it’s shared. The idea behind the name Living Room Roasters, is to offer a space where people from all walks of life can feel a sense of love and belonging- regardless of their past, present, or future.
As followers and believers in Christ Jesus, it is my wife and I’s desire to see our community transformed by the unfathomable love, grace and mercy bestowed upon us by the God who created all things, Who is working to redeem all things back to Himself. As participants in this great love, we each have the opportunity to encourage and uplift one another as we share all of life together. Our ultimate hope is to use our business to extend this concept of love and belonging starting with an invitation into one of our culture’s sacred spaces- our living rooms. Life is messy, and people seeing our mess is downright scary, but if you take a step back and look at your current connections, that is exactly where our deepest relationships are formed.
This is the reason our logo is a coffee stain left by the bottom of a mug- a reminder that life is messy, but it’s better when it’s shared. If someone were to come over to your house right now- before you have a chance to clean up that coffee stain- it is here we get to see what unfiltered, unmasked life looks like. It is here that we are most vulnerable, where people get to see the real us- for better or for worse. What makes this so scary is that this is where people are often met with hate, disgust, and discouragement. But what if you came to this place and all you found was love, grace, and encouragement? We recognize that this risk is absolutely terrifying, but it’s what we are inviting you to do- especially if you are one of our customers. Invite people into your homes, into your living rooms, into your lives. Share love. Be encouraging and uplifting. Share each other’s burdens and watch your life be transformed.
We want to model this idea in our store, and in our home- providing that safe space like I mentioned earlier where people can encounter an unfathomable love and belonging. We call these “living room spaces.” By modeling the creation of living room spaces, we hope that you will imitate us, and then innovate it to better connect with people in your circles. Since relationships are a two way street, we recognize it’s probably just as scary for the person you are inviting in as it is for you. This is where the coffee comes in.
Diving into life with others that is unfiltered and unmasked takes time. Trusting others takes time. Sharing a conversation over really good coffee is a perfect first step on the journey of connection. For that reason, we are committed to making a product so good, that you can’t help but share it with other people.
As specialty coffee roasters, our coffees come with a higher price tag, but it goes hand-in-hand with higher quality. The commercialization of coffee has led to many people expecting the flavor of coffee to be harsh and bitter. What they don’t realize is the WIDE variety of flavors that coffee has to offer when you start considering the quality. Coffee can taste like chocolate, caramel, lavender, tea, sugar, honey, blueberries, and so much more WITHOUT ADDING A THING!? This brings me to our last goal which is coffee education.
There is so much to learn and discover about the world of coffee. We don’t expect you to become coffee experts, but we do desire you to better understand the vast world of coffee, and the role you play in a larger global community in hopes that if nothing else you gain a greater appreciation for coffee. If there is something you don’t know about coffee, don’t understand about coffee, or even if you don’t drink coffee, we want you to ask us all the questions about coffee! If we don’t have an answer for you, we’ll do our best to find you one.
Now. About Front Door Coffee.
Drum roll please….
What Is It?
We are opening a second, separate location at Stephens County Hospital using the trade name: Front Door Coffee. Think of it like a brand of Living Room Roasters. There, we will primarily be serving specialty espresso based coffee beverages along with other drinks you’d find at a coffee shop. At the point of writing this, we don’t have an opening start date just yet, but it is coming very soon. Front Door Coffee will use coffee roasted at Living Room Roasters. We would like to offer grab and go sandwiches, salads and other baked goods and snack items. These items will not be available right away, but we plan on expanding our offering as we grow. This expansion depends greatly on your support of this venture, so we hope to see you there when it opens!
Our Purpose
Front Door Coffee shares the purpose of Living Room Roasters, but the execution of the goals mentioned will look slightly different. The reason why we chose the name “Front Door” is two-fold. First, the front door is where you enter someone’s home. We want to present the idea of being welcomed in through the front door into the sacred space of our lives, into our “living room spaces", where you can experience life with us as we make delicious coffee for you. The concept doesn’t stop there. Our challenge to our customers will be to extend this invitation into every area of life, so that we can create a deep sense of love and belonging in our shared communities. We recognize that not everyone drinks coffee, and that’s okay (we will have things for you too), but everyone’s life is connected in some way, shape or form to other’s. The second reason for the name is a little more matter-of-fact. We will be located in the front lobby of Stephens County Hospital- on the left right when you walk through the front door.
Front Door Coffee will exist primarily to serve the hospital staff as well as patients and their families. We recognize that if you are coming and going to and from the hospital, there is a possibility that you could be facing the worst day of your life. We want to be there with you, to love you where you are. In some cases you may be experiencing the best day of your life, and likewise we want to be there to celebrate with you. Above all we want our customers to encounter love and grace, and leave feeling better than when they came in.
On a similar note of feeling better, we also want to be mindful of your health. At Front Door Coffee, we will be dedicated to offering healthy alternatives in every area we are able. We plan on having sugar free and decaf alternatives available, and we will be highly considerate of food allergies (particularly the top 9 food allergens). We will have alternative milks available for those with dairy allergies and intolerances, and as we add to our menu we plan to include gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian options. We want to make healthier options more accessible, so that you have more time living life together.
We look forward to serving you at both locations moving forward! Thank you again for your support!
