Where have I been?

Well, to start my name is Eric Mullins.  I am 24 years old.  Don't let my age fool you, I have done more things in life than most people have done in their whole lives.  I am not just saying this.  During high school I worked for a canoe livery, and an engine shop.  The shop I worked for made super-cat boat racing engines, v12 engines, big ones.  Engines with dual super and turbo chargers attached, pumping out several thousand horsepower.  After that I worked in warehousing, shipping & receiving, and other environmental testing equipment related things. This was followed by a stint doing housing and construction in Detroit and the metro area. 

It was chance that my friends back in good old highland got jobs working for "Its a Grind Coffee House."  Really I never drank coffee.  I tried it at one point and hated what I tasted.  But when a position opened at IAG I applied and was called in thanks to Ramiro, him being a manager and I got the job.  I was a BARISTA! Well, I thought I was anyway.  We had three group Faema with PID temp and pressure control with two automatic dosing grinders and a tamper press.  I had no idea what I was doing.  My training was sparse and all I had to do to qualify for the job was to learn drink recipes and make them.  Not hard, I pushed buttons and got paid.  This job was as I remember "just a stepping stone until something better came along in the little town of Highland. A person who stopped in often was Josh (the one who I have written about before, so I wont go into anymore back story) he took Ramiro and I one weekend to Ypsilanti to try out coffee from a few places... those being The Ugly Mug, Zingerman's, and another place that I dont really remember all too well.  It was actually at Zingerman's that I sipped my first shot of espresso that didnt taste down right horrible and I could actually pick up on specific flavors and notes through the cup.  Immediately afterwards Josh took us to the Ugly Mug and I had my first 'Ah-Ha' moment with coffee when he pulled me a shot of some blend that I have no idea what it was and it blew up in my mouth.  The shot was a triple ristretto, that is what I remember... we went home to IAG and bugged the shit out of our wonderful boss, Ed Altuna,to buy some triple baskets and a hand tamper.  I dont remember how long it took, but I remember getting the basket and I remember Josh letting us use his tamper.  Around this time Ed got out of his contract with the IAG corporation and went 'independent.'  The name 'The Mug-Shot' was deemed to be the new title of the business. I have to be honest, we tried towards the end to make the best coffee we could with what we were getting.  We were getting our espresso from the Ugly Mug and the rest from a local cheaper roaster named Beanstro. Beanstro was owned by a guy named Paul.  Paul is a seriously good dude who loves coffee and and loved the fact that Ramiro and I were getting more into specialty coffee.  Unfortunately for him, (in my opinion) Michigan for the most part is a flavored coffee market.  Maybe you picked up on my "towards the end" thing that I just wrote a few lines back.  Another unfortunate thing was that the corporation killed Ed financially and therefore we consequently had to close.  Ed let a few people know a few months before that the shop was in dire straights so me being paid more than most of the employees began looking for another job to save him money.  To abbreviate the story, the shop ended up closing.  Ramiro went to work for the Ugly Mug after some time and I moved to Hamtramck in Detroit to work for my brother and simultaneously work at the Kawian Cafe in the then new 'Asian Village Detroit' on the riverfront.  I also picked up some work at the locally famous Cafe 1923.  At Kawian Cafe I worked on a new Rancilliio and used Zingerman's coffee. 

 When my hours there began to get cut and I saw Asian Village begin to crumble, I made the call to my mom and asked if I could move back home. It seemed like forever, the winter I spent picking up odd jobs where I could in order to support myself.  It was while I was in Detroit that I was fortunate to meet Courtney, and I can tell you that she had a big part me moving back to the Highland area, and not just finding other work Detroit.  Back at home, in Highland, there was a coffee shop opening... I figured that I knew how to make coffee and that I know that I loved doing it... yeah, a good job while going to college, something to do until I found something better.  I pretty much had control of the training and coffee operations at Kozy Koffee.  It was me and Courtney working in the same shop doing something we loved.  We were making coffee for all our friends and it became a second home.  I fell even in more love with coffee, keeping in close contact with Ramiro, who was now the roaster at the Ugly Mug.  And then we began to toll roast there for Kozy Koffee.  I was thrown into the mix.  The world famous Zak Rye taught Courtney and I the ropes and the what to dos and not to dos in roasting and we were off.  It seems like most things in my life two things happened, the first I immersed myself in the coffee world learning everything that I possibly could to do better and fall deeper into rabbit hole of coffee.  The second thing that happened is that Kozy Koffee began to be censored by the landlord telling us we couldn't have music shows on the weekends (and therefore cutting our revenue substantially) also in effect, it became apparent that I wasnt really happy working in a place where I couldnt grow as a coffee person. 

This is where Milwaukee comes in.  I was on BaristaExchange.com and happened across a post where the idea of a job being open at Anodyne as a roasters assistant was floated.  I made the call and within two weeks I was living in Milwaukee working at Anodyne. Courtney and Luke moved with me and within six months Courtney got a job working for Intelligentsia in Chicago. I should note at this point that my story is very condensed over the span of the past nine years of my life.  Now, and by now I mean specifically the past two months have been insanely hectic hence the lack of updating this blog.  Meanwhile, Steve and our sales guy David have been aggressivly going out and winning accounts left and right taking the metro-Milwaukee coffee world by storm. This although translates to me roasting one or two days out of the week as well as packaging and delivering all around Wisconsin the rest of the week. 

What have I been up to? I guess I will be chronological... About three months ago while Courtney was working one of her shifts at Intelly and Duane Suarenson (the owner of Stumptown) walks in the door and befriends Courtney.  One thing leads to another and somewhere along the line the idea of a jobs comes up and we end up flying out to Stumptown in NYC.  To make a long story short, there was a possibility of jobs, but the possibility evaporated due to scheduling conflicts.  Back in Milwaukee, Brett Boy Wonder is prepping non-stop for the Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition and wants to kill it.  Me, I am his coach.  This means that on top of my day job as a roaster/packaging/delivery guy I double it and make sure our BBW does well in competition, pushing him and helping him in what ever way I can.  What were the results? How about making it in the top 10 in the GRLBC, thats fucking phenomenal! Now, I am not going to take all the credit because this guy has been killing himself to do well and I congratulate him for slaying it out there.  Besides that, I have spent my weekends driving back and fourth between Milwaukee and Chicago to see Courtney.  In two weeks as of today Courtney will be moved back to Milwaukee for good and I am happy that I will be able to finally get some sleep after months of running around like mad.  Furthermore, I was just informed today that in the middle of next month Anodyne will be adding another person to the wholesale operation as a bagger and deliverer.  This will make me officially the full time roaster for Anodyne as well as freeing Steve up to manage and grow the operation, and also allowing me to further grow and immerse myself into the world of coffee and roasting. 

I love coffee, I love working in coffee. What I am doing in Milwaukee is not just something to do until I find something better. Looking at the Stump situation where I almost moved away to NYC, I am glad I didn't.  I'm glad because I would probably never had the opportunity to grow and succeed like I am here in Milwaukee at Anodyne.  I'm not just saying it to make anyone happy, it is simply the truth.  I am a coffee person... I have found my calling.  Watch out coffee world, Anodyne Coffee is growing and as humble as we are in principle, we love what we are doing and are passionate about what we are doing and there is not much anyone can do to stop the kind of drive we are bringing to the coffee world and Milwaukee community. 

As an end note, I have been inspired by tons and tons of coffee professionals from the Ugly Muggers in Ypsilanti, to the Madcappers in Grand Rapids, of course the Intelly folk always pushing the envalope as well as Stumptown, Counter Culture, Ritual, and many many more.  These companies and friends just make me want to strive to do better and more for the world...