One of those customers happens to be Fossil Cove owner and brewmaster Ben Mills, who can often be spotted at Onyx picking up his morning coffee after setting the mash in his brewhouse less than a mile away. Nearby Fossil Cove Brewing Company is a brewery that shares customers with Onyx. Any given morning you’ll find people at the Fayetteville lab who will later enjoy pints at neighborhood breweries. True, many of Onyx’s customers are also spending their money on local beer. “There’s something very communal about coffee, and there’s something very communal about beer.” “It’s the same people,” explained Jon Allen. Onyx focuses on coffee, but also enjoys a strong link to the percolating beer culture in Northwest Arkansas. Production is now 3,500 pounds of coffee per week, and Onyx beans are available at independent cafes throughout the United States. We don’t really look at it like that, so it works out.” “Even if they’re considered a competitor. “Almost every independent shop in a 60-mile radius buys from us,” said Jon Allen. In addition to its roasting operation, Onyx supplies coffee shops with paper products, syrups, and other supplies. This is where the quality assurance process known as cupping plays a vital role in the final outcome of the coffee. It just isn’t possible, so a little bit is based on sight and smell.”Īdjustments to the roasting temperatures are continually made based on environmental conditions. “There’s no technological way of getting the internal bean temperature inside the roasting drum. “This is a mix of science of art,” said Jon Allen. One day it’s 30 degrees, the next day it might be in the 70s. Roasting in a highly variable environment like Northwest Arkansas presents a unique challenge. A new 70kg version with custom Onyx graphics will arrive soon, allowing for large batches of the most popular roasts (such as Sugar Skull Blend). The workhorses behind Onyx’s premium small-batch coffees are 40kg and 12kg drum roasters. Coffee beans are maintained by lot in temperature and humidity-controlled rooms, and other wholesale inventories are stacked onto metal shelves that reach toward the ceiling of the warehouse. Small offices and a space for training flank the roasting and storage areas. The building lacks any distinguishing markings and blends effortlessly into a sea of light industrial uses. The roastery was moved from the back of the Springdale lab to a larger warehouse space a few years ago.
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