Our Story

Small Batches Roasted To Order

At Rustic Route, Coffee is routine; Roasted and enjoyed daily. Our mission is to provide high-quality, fairly sourced coffee at a price you can afford.

LGBTQ women-owned and operated company dedicated to giving back to help those in need.

Rustic Route’s purpose is to bring serenity to your world.

No matter how much you plan, life takes you in directions you never could have expected. We are thankful we landed here. The owners of Rustic Route bring years of experience to our journey of finding the perfect roast. Whether it was starting out a career as an event planner, managing coffee cafes in the city, working in various restaurants and bars, or learning how to be a barista, coffee was always part of the plan.

Our passion for roasting filled that place in our hearts that wasn’t complete while allowing us to pursue our entrepreneurial goals as a women-owned company that was motivated by giving back to the community while having fun at what we do.

Nestled in the shadow of Sugarloaf Mountain and the beautiful Agricultural Reserve of Montgomery County, Maryland, we invite you to follow and share along with Rustic Route on this simple, natural and routine journey we are on.

Coffee, the magical bean

Coffee, the magical bean, gives you the energy you need to get started in the morning and a little boost of energy whenever you need it. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how such a small bean can do so much for us. So let’s take a moment to appreciate the process of making coffee; The rousing smell of the coffee as the beans turn to dust in the grinder, the fresh aroma that steams out as you pour hot water on the perfectly roasted grounds. The best part is making it your own creation – with as much milk, sugar, or flavors that will make your taste buds happy.

We don’t use any artificial flavors.

Now that you’re ready to Zen out with a cup of coffee, why choose Rustic Route? Because we don’t use artificial flavors, only chemical-free, small farm, hand-picked fresh beans from all over the world. The same roaster will watch every roast moment to bring out the delightful natural flavors. We roast each batch of beans to be not too heavy on any one flavor, but right in the middle, to a flavor, you’ll want every day and to add to your routine. You can trust that each cup of coffee will make you feel gratified with every sip.

We use different types of beans.

When you close your eyes, even a novice coffee drinker will get a rush of dried fruit, then a solid acid hit at the end. This would be our light roast, an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe bean. Per your personal preference, milk and sugar can be added to enhance the flavor. It’s like candy in a cup!

The Ethiopian Sidamo bean we use for the medium roast is a typical middle child – greatly underestimated. We conducted a mass blind tasting in our town, and it was commonly described as smooth, nutty, and a perfect cup. Now for our dark roast, a Colombian Excelso bean. Many companies use this as their base bean because it provides a traditional “coffee” flavor. To distinguish ourselves from the rest, ours has a hint of cherry to give it a little kick, it won’t disappoint. How do we know? Roasting, tasting, making minuscule adjustments, repeat until the inevitable caffeine overdose.

Why roast coffee?

Why roast coffee? Simple – the craft drew us in. Science, creativity, and a love of all things coffee paved our path to Rustic Route. Robin, the roaster, has an appreciation for the little things. At 12 years old, on a family vacation in Switzerland, she was taken on a grand tour by the head of a Hotel and Restaurant Management School. He had as much passion for describing a place setting as a chef describing a five-star dish. We rarely stop to notice how the little things compounded affect us on a grander scale.

Coffee is the same – how many times have you thought about where the bean was grown, who picked it, and why one bean is lighter, dark, or smaller than another? There is a craft to getting coffee beans to an aromatic and flavorful roast.

A well-known roaster in Minnesota

A well-known roaster in Minnesota said that if you like it, you’ve roasted the bean correctly. We believe that is the best advice for adding a natural coffee routine to our everyday lives. Now let’s take that deep breath while we calm our minds and enjoy that perfect cup of coffee.