Tandem Coffee Roasters in Portland, Maine is all about building community. I got a chance to talk to Will Pratt, one of the founders, who is still riding the high from their huge annual Christmas gathering that saw hundreds of guests come and enjoy the Tandem Coffee band play carols and other songs. While they can’t throw a party like that every day, building a community around their roaster is part of what inspired Will and his wife Kathleen to found Tandem Coffee.

The name comes from Will and Kathleen’s tandem bicycle. While Kathleen at first wasn’t thrilled to receive one from Will for her birthday, she quickly warmed up to the idea and the two of them became known as the couple that rides the tandem around the neighborhood.

Before Tandem, Will and Kathleen worked for Blue Bottle. Now that they work on their own coffee, Will is head roaster with a perfectionist streak – never happy with the coffee they have (in a good way, I’m assured). That trait means Tandem has been working increasingly with Collaborative Coffee Source (CCS), an importer that focuses on both highest quality coffee and ethical sourcing. With CCS, folks from Tandem have the opportunity to visit farmers and try coffees first hand before making their purchases, as well as not having to worry about sketchy import practices.

If you’re ever in the Portland, ME area we cannot recommend visiting Tandem enough. Each of their two locations have a whole lot of character, great food and eats, and friendly staff. For those of you that won’t make the trip out, I’m sure you will enjoy this months coffee selection from the team at Tandem Coffee.