Family-owned since they opened their doors in the late 1980s, this year, Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters and Dancing Goats Coffee Bar is celebrating 35 years of roasting coffee. They recently hit another milestone when the coffee business opened its fourth retail location in the Pacific Northwest at the end of last year.
In December 2020, The Dancing Goats opened its newest location in the Public Market at Point Ruston in Tacoma. The location is the company’s first coffee bar in Pierce County. They knew the area would be an excellent fit for the coffee business and a strategic move to expand their customer base beyond Thurston County.
“We’re very thought out, deliberate and strategic when we open in a new area. We look at the neighborhood, and that’s a factor for expansion,” says Becci Ryder, Director of Business Strategy at Batdorf & Bronson and Dancing Goats Coffee.
Point Ruston was an ideal location for their expansion into Tacoma because the space allows for much more than just customers grabbing a coffee while they shop at the Public Market. Once COVID-19 restrictions relax, there’s also plenty of room at the facility for offering coffee classes and educating people on at-home coffee-making techniques.
“We love teaching, so we’re really excited about that space,” Becci says.
With pandemic restrictions in place in some capacity at all their locations, there are still plenty of options for people to get their java fix. Even outside of social distancing, sometimes there isn’t time to sit inside a coffee shop and sip coffee. Luckily, Dancing Goats offers online ordering through the Toast TakeOut app. There’s also a fun rewards program for repeat customers. Enrolling in the rewards program is free and offers the chance to earn one point for every $1 spent. Receive a $5 discount for every 50 points redeemed.
Offering convenient options like online app ordering and the rewards program is just one way they give their customers what they want. Since coffee isn’t always consumed in a coffee shop, they also provide customers with the release of four to six different coffees per year. Customers can take the coffee home to enjoy the tasty brew in the comfort of their own kitchen. Batdorf & Bronson sells coffee by the pound in their downtown Olympia location and 12-ounce pre-packs at all other locations, or online.
“We’re the coffee for the serious coffee drinker,” Becci says of their roasts.
The Story Behind the Signature Brew
Known as an excellent espresso or drip coffee, Dancing Goats is the signature blend at Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters. The moniker is more than just a whimsical name. According to the company’s website, we all owe a debt of gratitude to goats for figuring out the energy-giving benefits of coffee.
In the remote highlands of 9th century Abyssinia, now Ethiopia, a lone goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats were full of energy, dancing and prancing, after eating a small red fruit from a nearby shrub. Not wishing to be left out of the fun, he ate the cherries and was soon dancing too. According to legend, Kaldi and his goats had discovered coffee.
Focus on Sustainability
Besides bringing quality coffee to their customers, they’re also passionate about producing it in an environmentally sound way. The company has a massive focus on sustainability, including having South Sound Solar install a made-in-Washington solar panel system powering six individual circuits used in the roasting, production and packaging of their coffee. They also recycle or reuse items like their burlap coffee bags and recycle or compost all products possible. Another sustainability effort focuses on utilizing natural hydrogen cleaning products and placing outdoor lighting systems on timers to reduce excessive energy use.
The company also became a founding member in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership in 2003. They received the Thurston Green Business Award for medium businesses in 2008 and large businesses in 2019, and the Association of Washington Business in Environmental Excellence for Sustainable Communities in 2014, as well as the Rotary Club of Olympia Environmental Protection Award in 2017.
Visit the Dancing Goats Coffee Bar at Point Ruston in Tacoma or follow them on Facebook. Instagram, and Twitter.
Dancing Goats Coffee Bar Point Ruston
5101 Yacht Club Rd.
Tacoma
253.433.7926
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