Craig started drinking coffee at age five, as required by his neighbor to have a piece of her delicious cinnamon coffee cake. From there, consumption of coffee followed over to Grandma’s house – to go with Dutch windmill cookies. As Craig grew older, by age twelve, he dropped the cream & sugar and drank coffee with his dad after Rocket football games with a Marge’s Donut Shop apple fritter. Then he attended high school, college & a graduate school where his coffee consumption grew exponentially and his tastes were refined. After several not-so-exciting jobs, he started to research opening up a coffee shop in his beloved hometown of Grand Rapids. Canvassing all over town, he found out to his dismay that Starbucks & Biggbys took up the prime retail sites in Grand Rapids.
After some soul searching in early 2002, Craig started to roast coffee beans at home while in the back of his mind, the idea of a coffee roasting business started to…percolate. Then in 2007, he incorporated and purchased a brand new 5-kilo shop roaster from US Roaster Corporation – Grand Rapids Coffee Roasters was born! A diligent search for the ideal location pursued, with success found in a near-abandoned warehouse on the top floor in the scenic Black Hills neighborhood of Grand Rapids. A plain-looking wooden picture frame, located on a shelf in the roastery, displays the $10.00 bill from the first bag of coffee sold, to none other than, his parents…
