Our Roastery and Shop
The original vision for Big Creek Coffee did not involve a storefront coffee house. We were happily roasting coffee and selling it out the door of our rebuilt garage, as well as shipping it to customers around the country. One day in 2012, a "for rent" sign popped up in the window of a historic corner building in the heart of Hamilton's downtown and the vision suddenly changed.
We would put the roaster front and center of the store, like this:
The aroma of roasting coffee would blanket downtown, tempting people, drawing them toward us. The smell inside the shop would be irresistible.
The feel would be classy, cozy, Main Street USA--the complete opposite of a national chain. Original oak floors from 1904, telling the story of the many prior incarnations of this building: county law library, bakery, steam laundry, newspaper. Comfortable seating, tons of natural light, tables not crammed together too tightly.
The staff would be warm, friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about coffee. By the third visit they would know your name and your favorite drink, and probably have it started for you before you could reach the counter.
Coffee would be individually brewed to order. Why, because coffee of this caliber is not a commodity and it deserves to be treated with care and served fresh. Our customers deserve this--and once they've experienced it, will have a hard time settling for anything else.
There would be merchandise, carefully curated and narrowed down to the best products that we have tested, that we believe in, that we can stand behind without fail. Guests will be able to see them, touch them, demo them, before buying.
It would be a community hub, a gathering place, a business partner that gave back generously to the community that supports it.
We invite you to join us on our journey to better coffee. Visit our shops in Hamilton and Missoula, or, if you are far away, place a web order and our Victor roastery will be happy to mail your coffee beans anywhere in the country.
In the end, it would be judged by three vital standards: Did it provide an experience worthy of repeated visits? Was it delicious? Did the customers leave feeling better than they did when they walked in the door?
