Local roasters bring unique, direct-trade coffee to Michiana

Light Rail Roasting Co. is making plans to triple its roasting capacity, offer brewing methods to accentuate individual coffees and begin a program to educate the community about all things coffee through events at Light Rail Village Café. Every package of single-origin, micro-roasted coffee beans features details about the country of origin, region, farm, processing, altitude, date the beans were roasted and flavor profile. Light Rail also has a partner heading to Ethiopia to explore several micro-lot farms in hopes of developing relationships for direct-trade offerings that will benefit both the farmers and their communities, as well as the consumers who buy their beans or visit the café in Winona Lake, IN.

Although Bendix Coffee Co. roasts its beans for coffee drinkers who enjoy a good morning cup of joe, it has also been experimenting with flavors that suit a later hour. For example, its bourbon-barrel-aged beans. Using barrels from neighboring Indiana Whiskey Company, Bendix ages its roasted beans, turning them daily for a couple of weeks until they are sufficiently infused with the whiskey notes. And, working with Michiana Brewing Supply (now closed) of South Bend, Bendix is perfecting a Cascade hops–infused, cold-brewed coffee served via nitro taps. For details on purchasing or tasting these specialty coffees or beans for your morning cup, visit Bendix Coffee Co.’s Facebook page.