Even when its cold outside, things are roasting at the Schaus residence.
If you鈥檙e a coffee drinker and patron of the Downtown Salmon Arm Farmers鈥� Market, chances are you鈥檝e picked up a fresh-brewed cup of joe from David and Jordan Schaus, the owners of 6 Beans Roasting. Furthermore, it鈥檚 likely one of their 鈥�6 Beans鈥� 鈥� children Alan, Ayden, Hannah, Andrew, Adam, Henny, helped serve you.
A staple at the farmers鈥� market, 6 Beans Roasting specializes in coffee that is freshly roasted at their home-based business in Salmon Arm.
Asked about the business鈥� name, David explained it reflects a desire to create something of a legacy for his kids.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want my kids to leave the Shuswap 鈥� In a perfect world, if they want to stay around here, I鈥檇 love to have a business that is such that they can take it over at some point, or maybe take different parts in it,鈥� said David. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know exactly where it鈥檚 going to go 鈥� it鈥檚 still growing. But my idea would be that the kids, if they鈥檙e interested in learning about coffee鈥� I could build something with lasting power. I don鈥檛 want it to be here today, gone tomorrow. I want it to be around for generations, for my kids and grandkids.鈥�
The initial building blocks to this goal began taking shape in 2018, when David鈥檚 desire for fresh-roasted coffee led him to purchase a counter-top coffee roaster.
Explaining his love for fresh-roasted coffee, David likened it to one鈥檚 love for fresh baked bread.
鈥淚f you went and bought six-months worth of bread at Costco and you threw it all into the freezer, it鈥檚 not going to taste as good on month five and six after it comes out of the freezer鈥� it鈥檚 going to taste better fresh,鈥� said David. 鈥淢y goal all along was to get fresh-roasted coffee.鈥�
David explained how he was able to hone his home-roasting skills through his senses.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 roasting with computerized graphs and graphics, I wasn鈥檛 learning from reading on forums on how to do it, I was actually just learning by, this is at this stage of the roast, it sounds like this and it smells like this and it looks like this,鈥� said David, who also established a list of preferred locations and importers through which to buy his green coffee beans.
In little time, David found himself providing roasted coffee for friends and family. It was in the spring of 2022 that he and Jordan made the decision to go all in on 6 Beans.
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鈥淚 started roasting with a commercial roaster in the spring of 2022, and I upgraded that roaster in spring 2023 to one that has three times the capacity,鈥� said David, who is grateful to City of Salmon Arm staff for the support they provided throughout the process of setting up 6 Beans Roasting as a home-based business.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e been very accommodating and very positive about the business鈥�,鈥� said David. 鈥淭he city was working with me the whole time鈥︹��
The Schaus鈥� business is centred around their electric fluid bed roaster, which David said uses hot air to roast 10-lbs (5 kilograms) of beans at a time, and produces very little smell compared to more common commercial roasting methods.
鈥淟ess smell, cleaner tasting coffee in our opinion,鈥� said David, explaining the resulting product. 鈥淧eople ask me why my coffee tastes different from other coffee, and I think it has a lot to do with the type of roaster.鈥�
The Schaus鈥� coffee can be purchased online, from select retailers/vendors and, of course, at the farmers鈥� market. David said they actually started with the Sorrento Village Farmers鈥� Market, but were convinced to give the Salmon Arm one a go 鈥� a move that proved successful. This summer, the Schaus鈥� plan to be at both.
6 Beans Roasting offers a variety of coffees to appeal to different tastes. Ultimately, David wants to show people 鈥測ou can have coffee that tastes like coffee but tastes way better鈥︹��
For more information, visit 6 Beans Roasting online at 6beansroasting.com and on Facebook.
