Tiffany Farrow/The Valdosta Daily Times Ellen Stevens holds up a sample of Brazilian coffee beans that she tests for color and aroma during the roasting process at her Valdosta roasting facility.

VALDOSTA — Looking for a better morning fix? Now you can get it from coffee roasted right here in Valdosta. The Beanery is a local roaster of gourmet coffee that sells retail and wholesale in the South Georgia and North Florida areas.

Open since October of 2005, this is the only business of its kind in the area. It imports fresh beans from different parts of the world, then roasts them to the perfect point where flavor is at its peak. Only specialty coffee is sold; it is hand-picked, grown slower at higher elevations and is the very finest coffee available.

Owners Tom and Ellen Stevens started roasting at their home. Ellen worked for about two years on a business plan, hoping to open a coffee shop. Market research determined that a true coffee shop would best succeed if it was near Valdosta State University; however, no commercial property was available. They decided to instead open a coffee roasting business, so they studied the process and became members of the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

They moved into the Williams Street location in September and completely renovated the building adding a bar and a sitting area for entertaining first-time buyers and other customers.

Both Tom and Ellen enjoy the process of turning the green beans into toasted perfection. Ellen says that the roasting process, finding the perfect sweet spot in each bean, is more complex than producing wine.

“It is a craft and there is a lot to learn. Coffee from one area can give a completely different flavor than coffee from other areas, and each type should be roasted differently,” she said. “You can do it for years and still not know everything. But if you can find the ‘sweet spot,’ it is really satisfying.”

While coffee roasting is a passion for them, the Stevens also enjoy working the business aspect, meeting their customers and presenting their products. They both have other jobs, but hope that The Beanery will one day have enough clients to support one of them full time.

“We will probably be fighting over who gets to stay here!” she said.

One of their clients is Hildegard’s, located in downtown Valdosta. The coffee shop/bookstore/restaurant is known for having great tasting coffee in a variety of flavors.

The Beanery is interested in selling to many other local restaurants as well as professional offices and even individuals. They offer products from all over the world. Specials include flavored coffee like French Vanilla, Snickerdoodle, Irish Cream and Cinnamon Nut Brownie; blends like Mudpuppy, French Roast, Blazer Bean and Espresso; a great-tasting decaf and a cold brew concentrate that has a reduced level of acidity.

The Stevens developed a blend just for the Valdosta area. The Azalea Blend is a medium-roasted blend created especially in response to the tastes of home-town customers. It offers a light creamy body, a hint of citrus and chocolate and nut undertones.

They will also work with individual clients to create a â’house blend’ that will never be sold to any other place. All products are roast-to-order so that customers get fresh coffee just how they want it.

While they do not sell large equipment, they provide a small selection of retail including milk frothers, French presses and grinders.

“We want to be known as a place that offers the best coffee in the area,” Ellen said. “We are always continuing our education and working to be the best.”

The next step for Tom and Ellen Stevens is to open for morning coffee sales. Within the next week or two, individuals can stop in, have a cup of coffee, pick up a bag of Azalea blend or another favorite and be on their way to work. There’s no better way to get your morning fix than with a cup of great-tasting Azalea blend coffee roasted right here in the Azalea City.