Meet the Merchant - Blue Heron Coffee

Name of Business: Blue Heron Coffee, LLC
Location: 500 S. Talbot Street-side entrance,
St Michaels, MD 21663

Phone: 410-714-0334
Website: Blue Heron Coffee

Hours: Monday-Thursday 5:30a-2:30p, Friday 5:30a-5:00p, Saturday 7:00a-5:00p, Sun 7:00a-2:30p.

Who are the owners?   Randy and Joy Royer

How and why you started your business?   What started out as a hobby turned into a passion for good coffee. Randy and Joy Royer have been roasting coffee for themselves for about 5 or 6 years and decided it was time to share what really fresh coffee is about with other people.

What do you sell/make/do?   Blue Heron Coffee offers freshly roasted coffee to either take a bag home with you or enjoy a cup in the small café. Bulk coffee is sold whole bean or ground. We will grind it to your liking, or sell you a grinder from Bodum so you can grind it fresh at home. We also offer variety boxes and individual pouches for a single pot.  You can also grab a bite to eat! Sourced locally, we offer baked goods from Magnolia Bread Company, Sudlersville, MD and yogurt from Nice Farms Creamery, Federalsburg, MD.

Where is your business located and why did you choose your location?  We opened a small batch roastery in St. Michaels at the corner of Talbot and West Chestnut Streets. We are located in the same building as Sophie’s Poseys and Shore Pedal and Paddle, on the side of the building where the parking lot is.  We opened it in a perfect spot where locals and visitor's can grab a cup of coffee and baked goods from Magnolia Bread Company of Sudlersville.

 What strategy do you use to draw people to your establishment?    We brew four coffees daily. The daily brews are posted early in the morning on Facebook, when we open at 5:30 a.m. during the week and 7 a.m. on the weekends. We also offer in store single cup pour-overs and 3 cup and 8 cup French Press preparations.  Our mission statement says it all!

• We provide always fresh coffee, by roasting it on the premises.
• Our coffee is always 100% from current crop Arabica beans.
• The in-store coffee service includes French Press, single cup pour over, and tasting flights.
• We offer Bodum coffee gear: grinders, presses, travel mugs, etc.
• Our food service is always locally sourced, from local farmers, bakers and chocolatiers.
• The bulk coffee bags are completely compostable, after the tin tie is removed.
• We place special emphasis on coffees from the Americas to help minimize trans- global transportation. It’s hard to be green when your main product is green coffee from around the world.

What is your strategies for growth in the next year?   Being our first year in business, we hope to grow quickly!

What is the best thing about running a business here?   We love St. Michaels and it's residents, the quaint small town feeling and enjoy meeting the visitor's from all over!