Meet Craig Weyer | Artisan Coffee Roaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Craig Weyer of Stay Brewed Coffee and Roastery and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Craig, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Being able to apply our work ethic and drive in order to self-determine our success or failure. We desire to be authentic in a craft and honor what inspires us: Faith, Family and Freedom. We also aspire to recognize the industrious lives, hands and minds of the men and women-current and past, that have forged this country. These craftspeople and the rich history of ordinary folks that have built our communities also inspire us.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Our business took off from day one. We have a niche here given an under-served craft coffee community and and a strong desire to do this well, so it has been very well-received. We would also attribute to other part-time small businesses we have started and moved on from in the past. We are accustomed to the challenges of having a credible brand, marketing, sales and building relationships. One major factor in our current success would be the great relationships that we have in our community.

From our website:

GREAT COFFEE IS BORN IN DETAILS
We believe that anything great in life comes from three things — FAITH, FAMILY & FREEDOM.

These core principles drive everything we do, like our values of hard work, discipline, attention to detail and always doing our best.

Rooted in The Faith, we are moved to honor God, family, freedom and all the good that stems from them.

With an eye towards the industrious work ethic of the tradesmen, farmers, factory workers and craftsmen, a heart for family, service to others, liberty and a sense of adventure, we endeavor to create the best coffee in the world — from the heartland of Indiana.

Our coffee beans and unique roasts will inspire and empower anyone taking on the quiet pursuit of industrious lives to “Stay Brewed.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It would revolve around outdoor recreation, touring local sites of amazing architecture and patronizing local taverns/restaurants. Our area is well known for fishing, hunting, and hiking, with the Hoosier National Forest in our backyard. It also boasts water recreation with Patoka Lake and Ferdinand State Forest and Lake(s). Depending on the time of year, we would be hunting or fishing.

Our area has a rich German heritage, with stunning architecture and craftsmanship along with German restaurants. We would take in a walk through and around the grounds of the local monasteries. One of these being a convent known as “The Castle on the Hill” and the other an archabbey located in Spencer County to our South. In a neighboring county to our NE, We have Orange County and Crawford County which possesses Patoka lake, Patoka Lake Winery and French Lick Spirits-a distillery and winery In West Baden/French Lick, IN. West Baden also has and architectural marvel, a hotel with a dome known as West Baden Springs.

We would enjoy the local eateries with German cuisines and imported German beer. We would also visit the small town taverns for beverages and food. In addition, excellent craft coffee would also be in tow.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First, my wife, Lori. We operate this business together and are equal partners. We also have seven daughters and they are a big help in the day to day operations. We are Christians, by the Grace of God. Our love for Him and each other drives everything we do and inspires us to love and serve others.

When it comes to coffee, I was introduced at a very young age. I didn’t like it. What I did like was the ritual of coffee performed by my grandfather Lawrence Fritz, every morning. My sister and I would spend numerous weekends and summers with our grandparents. He never failed to start his day this way, typically before 5AM. I did love the aroma of coffee and when it hit in those early hours, I knew he would be captive at the head of his table and I would have him to myself for his 3 cups, my half cup and a few cookies. The cookies made the coffee bearable, haha! I had a curiosity about him, a man I admired and respected deeply. We developed a great bond over those mornings with coffee. I admired him for his faith, being a family man, his service to our country, being a terminal cancer survivor, and his work ethic.

Since then, I have developed a love for coffee, especially when I discovered craft coffee. My uncle, Tim Weyer and his family own Yellowstone Coffee Roasters in Bozeman, MT. He planted the idea with me in a very short conversation, several years ago. I have always admired that he started a business from scratch and built it with his family. The idea stayed in the back of my mind until 3 years ago, where Lori and I discussed it, did enough research to know it was viable, I went to Mill City Roasters in Minneapolis, MN(a recommendation from Tim), to take training on roasting craft coffee, and we began roasting in our garage in August of 2019.

There are certainly many more, too many to mention.

Website: www.staybrewed.com

Instagram: @staybrewed

Facebook: @StayBrewed

Image Credits
M. Pauline