Hidden Gems: Meet Kyle Boyce of Barkin’ Bean Roasters

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Boyce.

Hi Kyle, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey to roast coffee started in late 2019 while, ironically, sitting in a coffee shop watching YouTube videos. I came across a video on how to save money by roasting your own coffee. This is where I started going down a rabbit hole. Watching that video led me to watch another, and another, to where I came across a video on how to roast coffee in an air popcorn popper. I ordered a $14 air popper online and a week later I was roasting coffee in my kitchen.

I was surprised about what I could do with an air popcorn popper and realized I could scale this into a business. I did a ton of research online, looking at drum roasters, and air roasters. Before deciding on a roaster I wanted to find my “why”. I didn’t just want to start a coffee roasting company to have a company. I wanted to give back. One of my best friends has a box mix named Clarke. She is a rescue and although I don’t have a dog myself, I’ve become very close to Clarke. She became my ‘why”. I decided that a portion of my coffee sales will be donated to no-kill animal shelters and adoption agencies.

So in November 2019 I set up my LLC, purchased a web domain, ordered business cards, and completed all the other legal stuff and Barkin’ Bean Roasters was born.

I purchased my air coffee roaster, also called a fluid bed roaster, in January. I wanted to take 2020 to focus my time on learning about coffee, creating roast profiles, and handing out samples to friends and family. This is a side hustle, so I could afford to take my time. I feel fortunate that I took the “slow route”. Not only was I able to learn a lot about coffee and coffee roasting, but 2020 wouldn’t have been the ideal year to start a business that required meeting a lot of people. I decided that 2021 was going to be Barkin’ Bean Roasters’ official launch.

Things really didn’t get going until April 2021 as that is when I started selling at the Blue Spring’s Farmer’s Market. I didn’t know what to expect, but I had my system down. I would work my 9-5 and each night I had my To-Do List. Monday was my bag stamping day. Tuesday would be a day off. Wednesday I would label all the bags, Thursday was roasting day. I would try to predict the coffee I was going to sell and only roast the amount of coffee I plan to sell at the market. I didn’t like keeping extra coffee as I want my coffee to be the freshest in the city. Friday I would grind the coffee and Saturday was market day. I would also brew some coffee to take so customers could sample my roasts.

I really didn’t expect to be as successful as it was. I did a few other pop-ups, but 90% of my sales came from the Farmer’s Market. I have some customers email and text me for coffee as the market season is over. I will deliver for free in the KC area so anyone is welcome to reach out to me for coffee. In 2022, I hope to expand to do more events and maybe even have a coffee cart. Long term I would like a dog-friendly coffee shop.

Just this past Saturday, I was able to donate $500 to Always and Furever in Spring Hill Kansas. The best part about Barkin’ Bean Roasters is giving back. I hope to grow so that I am able to give back more next year.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I feel it has been a smoother road than it could have been just due to the fact that I try to avoid putting the cart before the horse. I researched other businesses, watched countless hours of videos, and attended events that are put on by Square One and the Mid-Continent Public Library.

I wanted to make sure I had enough seed money to buy my roaster, green coffee, and packaging. I finally reached a point where I knew I just had to jump in and do it. I was starting to get paralysis by analysis. The struggles I have now are probably time and figuring out my next steps. Another roadblock is just putting myself out there more.

I consider myself an introvert, which can be a downfall. I don’t have a Facebook page so being able to reach others in the community can be difficult. My sales are from face to face at the market or by word of mouth. I do have an Instagram, but I know I could reach a broader audience through Facebook. I might have to break down and create one.

As you know, we’re big fans of Barkin’ Bean Roasters. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Barkin’ Bean Roasters is a small coffee roasting company run out of my house in Blue Springs. This is currently a side hustle as I work a full-time job in Cyber Security.

Barkin’ Bean Roasters roasts single-origin coffee. The coffee is air roasted which produces a coffee that is smoother and less acidic than drum roasted coffee. I feel that once someone gets used to drinking air-roasted coffee, they will find it difficult in going back to drinking drum-roasted coffee. I find it more difficult to find air-roasted coffee as it’s not the most common way coffee is roasted. Drum roasted coffee is the most common.

What I want my customers to know is that I am very proud of the Barkin’ Bean Roasters brand and what it stands for. I am very dedicated to roasting fresh, high-quality air-roasted coffee for my customers, but it is just important for Barkin’ Bean Roasters to give back to the pet-loving community. There are a lot of pet organizations out there, and I wish I could help them all, and one day I hope to do so.

What’s next?
I’ve been on the fence about getting a coffee cart for events. I have a few vendors that I have quotes from, but nothing is set in stone yet.

I will be continuing to roast coffee for the Farmer’s Market in 2022. I may have an additional offering. What makes us different is that green coffee is purchased in small lots. Once we go through a bag, we will either purchase another bag from the same origin/farm or pick another origin.

It depends on popularity, and if the coffee is in harvest or available. Barkin’ Bean is a micro-roaster so you never know what to expect from us.

Pricing:

• All bags are $10 per bag roasted to order. (Free local delivery)

Contact Info:

• Email: kyle.boyce@barkinbean.com
• Website: www.BarkingBean.com or www.BarkinBeanRoasters.com
• Instagram: @BarkinBeanRoasters