KTKA

Topeka — Jeff Taylor says his entry into the coffee business was like many others in his profession. He just wanted a good cup of coffee.

"When I moved to Topeka my greatest frustration was that there was no coffee," he said. "There were no coffee shops here."

That was back in the early 1990's. Taylor was then a photographer for the Topeka Capital Journal and had moved here from the northwest, where there were coffee shops. So he and Fred Polzin started PT's Coffee on the side.

"We started brewing coffee, but after about a year," said Taylor. "I still had this nagging inside that said, it's got to be better than this."

That led to PT's roasting its own coffee beans to grind and brew for customers, but again, there was that nagging.

"I started doing more research and finally came to the conclusion that the coffee you produce is only as good as the coffee you put in-that the roaster can only influence the product so much."

That conclusion, has led to PT's current operation, which includes a wholesale roasting and distribution business.

"I've been on a mission for the past ten years to absolutely find and buy the best coffee on earth," Taylor said. "I've been to Africa three or four times I've been to Central and South America every year. I basically spent every January through March in Central and South America."

Taylor quickly discovered that coffee farmers were often paid below the cost of production for their coffee.

"We've gone at it with the approach that it's going to be a win-win situation from seed to cup," he says. "And once I find the best coffees, I try to establish relationships with the best farmers who grow the best coffees and work with them year in and year out."

And for that, PT's pays far more than those farmers would otherwise get, improving the lives of the farmers and their families.

The business model is working. Recently PT's was named macro roaster of the year, by Roast magazine.

"They couldn't believe we hadn't entered before," notes Taylor. "We won the first time we entered, basically. For me it's about the quality of the product-first and foremost..... And then about the relationship I can have with the farmer. Can those pieces work together? Is it someone I like and trust and build a relationship with. And if not then we don't do business with them. If it is... .We have a lifelong friendship."