Our journey began with a single idea - to bring the rich flavors of carefully sourced coffee beans to our community then share it with the world. We source unroasted beans from all over the world then bring them to our secluded island roastery to experiment and exemplify their qualities into fan favorites and new flavors. We only source organically grown, sustainably grown, fair trade coffees.

Dean dreams of coffee:

In 2006, Dean founded Lopez Island Coffee Roasters with the mission to provide his community with high-quality coffee beans. Fueled by organic and quality-focused ideals, Dean embarked on his journey to bring exceptional coffee to the residents of Lopez Island, the surrounding islands of the San Juans, and mainland Washington. Using an American made Diedrich roaster machine that he found on the East Coast he knew if he could get it to the island he would make his dream a reality. Using his own truck, he picked up his coffee roaster on the mainland after shipping it across the country and brought it on the ferry to Lopez. Dean's dedication to sourcing the finest beans and roasting them to perfection established Lopez Island Coffee Roasters as a celebrated source of coffee for locals and visitors alike. Many a local and tourist may remember him from his beloved set up at the Farmer's Market where he would sell his fresh coffee with pride from the back of his signature red truck. A true one man show, he sourced, produced, bagged, and delivered all of his coffee and it was a common sight to see him at grocery store shelves having lively conversations about coffee, island life, family, and friends while he worked. Over the 18 years he ran the roastery he moved a few times to different quirky spaces on the island and always gathered people together with his coffee, commitment to the community, and love of bringing both things together.

A family drops anchor off the coast of Lopez

In May of 2023 Jeff and Rocky, along with their 1-year-old son, set sail from Tacoma on a 2-week journey across Puget Sound towards the San Juan Islands. Living aboard their sailboat SV Ghostlight, the couple was locally known for their top-notch coffee roasted on board or at the dock with their own small coffee roaster. The beans were often given to friends and fellow sailors in their liveaboard community and sometimes roasted to personal specifications requested by recipients. Despite some engine issues and their subsequently delayed schedule, they reached Watmough Bay after crossing the Strait of Juan De Fuca 2 weeks after leaving Tacoma. Running low on coffee supplies, Jeff and Rocky scoured for coffee that could match their discerning tastes. After numerous disappointments, they stumbled upon a brand displayed on a market shelf - a brown kraft paper bag with a hand-drawn logo accented with a hint of red. The coffee, placed there by Dean himself, struck a chord with them, reminiscent of the quality they only found in their self-roasted beans.

The family stayed a little longer still as they grew to enjoy the islands and Lopez in particular. They continued shuffling their schedule to allow more time to cruise. Eventually they met Dean after being introduced to him by other sailors who knew about their coffee enthusiasm and soon after that Jeff and Rocky were back to sourcing beans to roast aboard Ghostlight and would gift them to Dean and talk about roasting with him as they shared their favorite coffees with a fellow roaster.

Music, community, and putting down roots

The winter of 2024 was aggressive on Lopez Island and came with Jeff and Rocky still living with their son aboard SV Ghostlight. Their 2 week trip had turned into a much longer affair than they had planned and were now living full time on the island. The family began playing music in the community, a task both Jeff and Rocky had done all across the country and parts of Europe for years. With their son as inspiration they focused on child enrichment and slowly became more known to the greater community of the island. It made a sense of purpose for the couple and they remained attentive to find other ways to serve and help the new community that had welcomed them and their child so warmly in such a cold and gray season. As they began working with more families and programs around Lopez, Dean had started thinking of stepping away and enjoying some time to work on other ventures. Knowing that Jeff and Rocky had experience in the coffee industry led to a few conversations and the two parties began working on a way to pass the roastery on. With 18 years of barista, roasting, warehousing, importing, and specialty training in the coffee industry Jeff made himself available as an apprentice to learn Dean’s nuances and carry forth the brand that was so lovingly crafted and carried for almost 2 decades by its founder. Along with Rocky who has been a barista in NYC and has roasted coffee closely with Jeff for over a decade the team remains as experienced as ever.

We look forward to honoring Dean’s legacy by continuing to offer his roasts and recipes while also offering some of our own favorites and styles as well. There is no plan to change Lopez Island Coffee Roasters from what it is, community crafted coffee that delivers the warmth and eminence that passionate creators create. We hope, that like our community did for us, that our coffee will become a welcoming companion on your journey. ☕️