Millersburg Coffee Company bringing quality beans to Amish Country
Millersburg Coffee Company will soon open its doors for the ultimate coffee tour.
Off a country road and back a long lane, sit several brick cottages beside a small manor. A fragrant smell floats from the door, and inside sits a Diedrich coffee roaster awaiting the skilled hands of Sebastian Sanchez to heft a sack of unroasted coffee beans into it.
His computer clicks with precise measurements as he starts the process. Millersburg Coffee Company will soon open its doors for the ultimate coffee tour. From roasting room to tasting room, the company is bringing the best beans in the Americas to Amish Country.
Millersburg Coffee Company was started by Sanchez, who is from Colombia, and his father-in-law, Dr. Deepak Arora. Arora came here in the mid-1980s to fill a niche as an OBGYN. He raised a family of four kids in the house that sits next to the cottages, temporarily moving away to the Cleveland area.
They traveled throughout Europe with their kids, stopping at inns along the way, and when they returned, Arora said, “I can do this,” and the property was turned into Port Washington Inn. When they moved back from Cleveland, the inn was shut down and became their primary residence once again. When Arora’s wife died of brain cancer, he remained at the home.
Sanchez met Arora’s daughter, and she went to Colombia to be with him as she knew after her mother’s death that life was short. They married in the country of Panama, and this was Arora’s first foray into Latin America as a visitor. The couple took him to Colombia, where they visited a coffee farm high in the mountains, taking in the whole experience from coffee plants to sipping many coffees.
When Arora returned, he said once again, pondering the coffee tour he had been on, “I can do this.” In early 2019, as Sanchez was working on a spousal visa to enter the US, he began talking about starting a coffee business with his father-in-law. When all paperwork was done and he arrived in the US, 2020 hit with its full pandemic force, and the dream was put on hold. But in 2022 they hit the ground running.
Today, Sanchez is an internationally certified coffee roaster after completing courses through the Specialty Coffee Association.
“I want to eventually become a master roaster,” he said.
They have a team on the ground in Colombia that sources coffee beans from local farmers. Being able to select the best beans is important to them. Once they have been sourced and tested, they’re shipped directly to Millersburg Coffee, where they await roasting.
Arora travels back and forth as needed, making sure everything with the South American team is functioning. The last time he went, he met a fifth-generation coffee farmer who is adding acreage to his farm for more plants. He toured the farm and learned more about the size and quality of the beans, taking home a wealth of knowledge.
“We don’t get any less than a supreme coffee bean here,” Arora said. “We’re not going to sell something that I wouldn’t drink.”
While they are working hard on renovating the cottages, the team in Colombia is also working hard to secure the best beans they can. They have a mobile unit they take to the farms they work with to test the quality of the beans, sometimes spending a whole day there. By the time the beans arrive in the US, they’ve been tested several times and are ready to roast.
Sanchez whirs the beans in the roaster, which is a short process for the medium roast that is being roasted. He is meticulous, checking the beans with a little scoop that shows them darkening slowly. His movements with the complicated machine and program are easy and sure, a knowledge that displays his expertise.
While there are other coffee roasters in the area, Millersburg Coffee will be the first to offer tours and tastings to the public.
“We will be able to accommodate six to eight people at a time,” Arora said. “Sanchez will take them through the roasting process, and after that, they will do a coffee tasting. Coffee is becoming something different today. People want to know what they’re drinking.”
It’s an exciting beginning for Arora and Sanchez, and there is visible respect between the two men. He is happy they can open a business in a place he has loved and been loved. Last December they began selling their coffee online through their website and several select places in the area.
“We work directly with the farmers and can guarantee the quality,” Sanchez said. “A lot of people can’t guarantee that. We’re working on an organic line of coffee and had it lined up with a group of women farmers in Colombia. Growing coffee can be a very male-dominated business. We went there and tested everything and found that there was a problem with their harvest. Instead of bringing home problematic beans, we told them to get everything right, and we will revisit it. Eventually, the organic line will be available. We want to treat the farmers with respect.”
Which is part of the promise of quality that Millersburg Coffee pledges. Sanchez’ wish is to bring the rich goodness from the very area he grew up in, Eje Cafetero (Coffee Axis). They are actively learning new trends in coffee and plan to eventually bring in unique flavors and drinks as they grow.
The handwriting on the logo for Millersburg Coffee belongs to Arora’s late wife. It was a way to make her memory a part of the venture. Big plans are in the works as they improve the property and ready it for visitors. They are currently working on finishing the interiors of the roasting and tasting room, and their excitement is palpable.
They plan to do a soft launch in April, by invitation only, when renovations are done. They are aiming for a tentative summer opening and will then start taking tour reservations. Follow them on their socials and find them at millersburgcoffee.com.