The owner and two employees from Bliss Coffee on Broadway Street recently opened a roasting facility together on San Antonio Road in Palo Alto under the new name Red Giant Coffee Roasters. Jimmy Huang, who started Bliss Coffee, said the three wanted to bring specialty coffee roasting to the Peninsula.
"Specialty coffee is usually roasted in San Francisco, the East Bay or South Bay," he said. "We decided, 'Hey, why don't we give that a shot?'"
Red Giant's co-founders are Erik Jennings, head roaster, and Anna Kachelries, head of operation and designer.
They're currently sourcing beans from several specialty grade importers but down the line, hope to do the sourcing themselves and build relationships with coffee farmers. Huang said they're not going for any particular roast or flavor profile, but instead work to bring out each bean varietal's "inherent flavors."
You can currently purchase Red Giant's coffee at Bliss (which will continue to serve Four Barrel, Verve, Heart Roasters and Chromatic) and online. Huang said they hope to expand to other local specialty coffee shops and farmers markets in the future.
