Eminent Coffee Roasters

Josh Kaeter started Eminent Coffee Roasters from his father’s garage in October 2021. “My interest and love for coffee started while serving in the US Marine Corps. I was looking for a healthier alternative to energy drinks to stay awake while deployed to Afghanistan or training in the field, and straight black coffee was the answer. Fast forward a few years after returning to civilian life; I had been working for an independent coffee company/roaster in South Carolina while finishing my degree, but a series of life events brought me back up north. Weeks before moving home, I had the opportunity to travel to Panama and visit a coffee farm where I got to create a personal relationship with the producer, purchase raw coffee, and bring it back to the U.S. to roast, sell, and tell the producer's story. That experience solidified my path forward.”

“When I got back to MN, I didn't want to use my degree, and I also didn't want to stop roasting coffee. I was working at the St. Cloud VA full-time when I started Eminent, then went part-time, and in Spring 2023, I quit entirely to focus on and grow Eminent Coffee Roasters.”

“No one in the area was roasting coffee to the degree or quality that I had experienced at my previous employer, and certainly not highlighting the coffee producers themselves, so I made the decision to sell everything I owned and buy a 10-kilogram coffee roaster. I soon found a new home for the roaster, our facility in Sartell, where we still roast today, and what will hopefully be our second cafe/retail location soon,” explained Josh. “I had gained mobile event/cart experience at my former roasting job, and that is where the idea of our mobile cafe carts came from. I built all 3 of our coffee carts by hand, and the remaining one that hasn't been sold is still available for private events and hopefully to be found around St. Cloud and St. Joe this summer.”

Josh was born and raised in Sauk Rapids. “I've been around the world and lived on each corner of the continental U.S. Family and Community are what brought me back to the area. The reception within the greater St. Cloud community has been amazing. Small businesses supporting each other, collaborating, and working together to the benefit of everyone is a beautiful thing. As business owners, we understand each other's daily struggles and know that if we don't support each other, we all fail.”

Eminent Roasters was born out of a love for incredible, delicious coffee – from the source – and remains a pillar of its business. “We only source specialty grade coffee to start, and roast each individual origin to its peak flavor or aroma profile. There is no set light, medium, or dark roast for our coffees; it's wherever that specific coffee comes to life that determines its roast profile. At the core of our business is the relationship and transparency to the source of our coffees. We hope to eventually have a story and direct connection for all of our offerings to make the consumer feel connected to the grower and be able to put a face to the name of their morning cup.”

“We are also always looking for import partners and coffees that have a greater impact in their communities as well. Not just paying a premium for raw coffee to provide a better income to the farmer, but coffees and programs that help grow young producers' coffee portfolios and harvesting techniques that also have a larger impact in the growing communities to provide resources such as school funding, producer education, or even cooking stoves in rural and remote villages,” shared Josh.

But what makes them unique doesn’t stop there. “We are also one of 2 or 3 roasters in the state that are certified Bird Friendly coffee roasters. This means we not only pay a premium for the raw coffee, but there are bi-annual dues for every pound of Bird Friendly coffee we roast that go to funding research and rehabilitation of natural bird and insect habitat on coffee farms. This means the revitalization and reforestation of the farms, which are typically clear-cut to plant coffee trees, forcing out the natural wildlife and insects. It also means these coffees are organically produced and shade-grown, which produces a better-tasting product in your cup, all while saving birds and insects.”

While the source and environment are all intentional aspects of Eminent’s business, so is the community. They are currently collaborating with Obbink Distilling on their Coffee Liqueur, Dark Matter, and are about to run a Birthday Beer partnership with Bad Habit Brewing. They also roast Copper Pony's bespoke coffee blend, which is a fully Bird-friendly blend and organic blend of Guatemala and Honduras beans. You can find their coffee at a variety of locations throughout Central MN and beyond. “We’re also still running a collaborative fundraiser for The Overwatch Collective, a Veteran non-profit. Every bag of the collab coffee ‘One More, One Less’ goes directly to providing resources to veterans and their families, free of cost. We donate 50% of the profits on this specific coffee directly to T.O.C. You can hit our online webstore to help us raise funds for US Service Members!” 

When we asked Josh about his vision of business ownership, he laughed. “Ha! I just wanted to roast coffee and share it with my community; everything else you see has just come along for the ride and is something I have to educate myself on every day. The current coffee markets have also become a bit of a challenge. Coffee prices are at historic highs, and as much as anyone wants to say they are willing to provide more for the producers at origin, the cost of goods still has a big impact on business ownership, growth, and cash flows. Coupled with inflation across all other markets, too, it's a challenge to find the right balance of cost of goods and not having to price yourself out of business to your consumers,” said Josh. “But being a business owner has amazing, exciting moments too. Seeing people light up when they realize that coffee isn't just brown water, it can be an entire sensory experience, as well as a cultural connection and experience, is why I do what I do.”

You can find Eminent Coffee Roasters at The House Food & Tap in St. Joe and online at eminentcoffeeroasters.com. You can also follow along on Facebook and Instagram.

“As simply as I can put it, Drink Better Coffee, and slow down. Our world is moving too fast and often prioritizes commodity and convenience over quality and intentionality. Support your neighbors and small businesses that rely on you to feed their families. Corporate big boxes don't care about their own employees for the most part, and certainly not about their consumers. Be more intentional in everything you do, and appreciate those around you and the beautiful world we live in, despite all the outside noise and chaos.”

We’ll drink to that!

#StCloudShines