Hemisphere to Host Coffee Fest

Hemisphere Coffee Roasters employee Andy Carter roasts beans to sell at the Mechanicsburg facility. Photo by the Urbana Daily Citizen.

Kurtz to focus on coffee education, experience
​By Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen
MECHANICSBURG - Hemisphere Coffee Roasters will host their inaugural Coffee Fest on Saturday, October 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at their new facility at 275 E. Sandusky St. in Mechanicsburg. The event follows their official ribbon cutting held Friday at noon, facilitated by Mechanicsburg mayor Greg Kimball, and continues a grand opening weekend which started Thursday. During the weekend, customers can get $2 off any pound of coffee.

Paul Kurtz, who founded Hemisphere in 2002 with his wife, Grace, said he plans to make the Coffee Fest an annual event. The fact that they moved into their new building in mid-summer this year has added to the festivities, but Kurtz acknowledges that the festival involving food trucks, kids activities, vendors, coffee cupping and music is not solely about promoting his own business.

"What we are trying to do with our Staurday event here, the once-a-year Coffee Fest, is really to educate people to what is coffee, how to taste cofee, and what to look for," he said. "It doesn't mean that they're all going to come buy their coffee here, because we hear some people are coming from Dayton. But if they're educated, it will help all roasters that are direct importing."

According to Kurtz, the last several years have seen a resurgence in local coffee roasting. One hundred years ago, every cluster of blocks in a large city would have had their own roaster, but since the advent of large, international brands, it has been more common for people to buy their coffee from the supermarket until recently.

Hemisphere imports beans direct from farmers in Thailand, Kenya, Guatemala and Nicaragua, then ships to locations all over the United States including about 200 churches, 25 coffee shops like The Spotted Cow in Urbana, and some markets including Whole Foods. But while this this direct trade model has been good for local businesses, Kurtz says it is even better for the farmers who produce the coffee.

Read more in the October 12th edition of the Urbana Daily Citizen.
Learn more about Hemisphere Coffee Roasters at their website, ​www.hemispherecoffeeroasters.com/.