Basecamp Coffee is all the buzz to be in your morning cup!
Written by: Clare B.
Edited by: Lisa Blubaugh
Owner Hayden Ort-Ulm has been roasting coffee since “Snowmegadon” of 2016. He looks back fondly on the memory of delivering his first bag of coffee. He drove down a snow covered driveway leading to Leaning Pine Farm. Hayden and owner Sam White sat in the kitchen. The coffee banter was as warm and comforting as the snow blanketing the world outside them.
When I sat with a cup of coffee with Hayden. I asked him why he wanted to start roasting coffee in Cumberland, MD, of all places? He explained he has lived in Seattle, WA, a haven for coffee lovers. The culture of coffee was well and alive in the lifestyle of Seattle. When he moved back home, he also wanted to become an entrepreneur. He aspires to open his coffee shop on Greene Street and fill the neighborhood with the sweet aroma of freshly roasted coffee. After establishing a market need for locally roasted coffee, Hayden set off to attend Vermont Artisan Coffee Company. He majored in a 5-day course to learn the fine art of coffee bean roasting.
Basecamp receives its coffee as green beans in a 180-pound burlap sack. He home roasts each 5-pound batch using a machine that he describes as a “gadget full of gizmos.” Over an open fire, a drum spins, roasting each bean to sweet perfection. It requires a high skill level, but it is a step up from his humble beginning of roasting coffee. His earlier days were best described as a machine similar to the old school popcorn machine. Jiffy puff anyone?
Quality is of the highest focus at Basecamp Coffee. Every 150-pound burlap sack of green beans is tested to assure that the quality of bean is the highest it can possibly be according to the standards of The Specialty Coffee Association of America. This task can sometimes take up to 45 minutes for Hayden to complete.
Basecamp Coffee Company offers more than five different roasts of coffee. Its beans are ethically sourced.The Ethiopian blend is certified organic and fair trade. Each of Basecamp’s coffee has a unique history of growth before they are shipped to Cumberland. The Ethiopian blend is not grown on plantations; each bean is handpicked. After the community picks beans, they are processed by bicycle power. That’s a bean prepared from a wild ride! The Brazilian Estate is growing on one farm, owned and operated by all women!
Basecamp Coffee Company loves setting up at the Allegany Farmers Market. The atmosphere surrounding his booth presents a welcoming place for patrons. He welcomes feedback on his coffee from everyone who has tried a cup. Basecamp Coffee is available to by cup or by the bag:
Downtown Cumberland Thursdays 9:30am-1:00pm
City Place Frostburg Fridays 9:30am-1:00pm.
Winter Market Frostburg & Cumberland.
If you miss the market, you can find Basecamp at Mountain Shine Creative, Wholesome Harvest, and Shift. It also accepts personal bulk orders. For more information, check out Facebook @Basecamp Coffee Company.
Edited by: Lisa Blubaugh
Owner Hayden Ort-Ulm has been roasting coffee since “Snowmegadon” of 2016. He looks back fondly on the memory of delivering his first bag of coffee. He drove down a snow covered driveway leading to Leaning Pine Farm. Hayden and owner Sam White sat in the kitchen. The coffee banter was as warm and comforting as the snow blanketing the world outside them.
When I sat with a cup of coffee with Hayden. I asked him why he wanted to start roasting coffee in Cumberland, MD, of all places? He explained he has lived in Seattle, WA, a haven for coffee lovers. The culture of coffee was well and alive in the lifestyle of Seattle. When he moved back home, he also wanted to become an entrepreneur. He aspires to open his coffee shop on Greene Street and fill the neighborhood with the sweet aroma of freshly roasted coffee. After establishing a market need for locally roasted coffee, Hayden set off to attend Vermont Artisan Coffee Company. He majored in a 5-day course to learn the fine art of coffee bean roasting.
Basecamp receives its coffee as green beans in a 180-pound burlap sack. He home roasts each 5-pound batch using a machine that he describes as a “gadget full of gizmos.” Over an open fire, a drum spins, roasting each bean to sweet perfection. It requires a high skill level, but it is a step up from his humble beginning of roasting coffee. His earlier days were best described as a machine similar to the old school popcorn machine. Jiffy puff anyone?
Quality is of the highest focus at Basecamp Coffee. Every 150-pound burlap sack of green beans is tested to assure that the quality of bean is the highest it can possibly be according to the standards of The Specialty Coffee Association of America. This task can sometimes take up to 45 minutes for Hayden to complete.
Basecamp Coffee Company offers more than five different roasts of coffee. Its beans are ethically sourced.The Ethiopian blend is certified organic and fair trade. Each of Basecamp’s coffee has a unique history of growth before they are shipped to Cumberland. The Ethiopian blend is not grown on plantations; each bean is handpicked. After the community picks beans, they are processed by bicycle power. That’s a bean prepared from a wild ride! The Brazilian Estate is growing on one farm, owned and operated by all women!
Basecamp Coffee Company loves setting up at the Allegany Farmers Market. The atmosphere surrounding his booth presents a welcoming place for patrons. He welcomes feedback on his coffee from everyone who has tried a cup. Basecamp Coffee is available to by cup or by the bag:
Downtown Cumberland Thursdays 9:30am-1:00pm
City Place Frostburg Fridays 9:30am-1:00pm.
Winter Market Frostburg & Cumberland.
If you miss the market, you can find Basecamp at Mountain Shine Creative, Wholesome Harvest, and Shift. It also accepts personal bulk orders. For more information, check out Facebook @Basecamp Coffee Company.