Fika Coffee to Expand its Base of Operations and Grow its Community Impact
Dec 14, 2023 09:45AM ● By Content Editor
By Jennifer Janasie for Boreal Community Media - December 14, 2023
Fika Coffee, an artisanal coffee roaster and cafe in Lutsen, began roasting coffee in a small Grand Marais shed in 2012. Over 11 years later, the business today may look different, but owner Josh Lindstrom and Fika staff still roast high-quality batches of coffee amid plans to grow their community impact.
Fika staff members are happy to share the powerful story behind the business, one that consists of both a roasting, wholesale arm and a cafe arm, whether in shop conversation or out in the broader community. For Fika, coffee roasting and distribution go far beyond providing community members with pick-me-up beverages. According to Lindstrom, the business’s vision inherently includes story-sharing and service toward the common good, with coffee being a catalyst for change.
Fika’s practices build relationships and help local and global community members compose stories of success and sustainability. Lindstrom and his team highlight coffee beans sourced from countries around the world, from Guatemala to Ethiopia to Peru and beyond, according to Trevor Cook, one of Fika’s Roasters. Relationships with two particular coffee farmers especially stand out.
Since starting roasting operations, Lindstrom has deepened relationships with family farmers and continued to purchase coffee beans from the same countries, such as from the Villatoro family at Finca la Esperanza coffee farm in Guatemala. Lindstrom has visited the farm several times, witnessing first-hand the labor of love that goes into growing and hand-picking coffee cherries – the fruit that contains coffee beans. “If you were to come hike the hills of Guatemala with us, you might not let another bean fall to the ground,” says Lindstrom.
Fika coffee beans after roasting in a sample roaster.
The story of Finca la Esperanza is an example of the positive impact Fika has had on people’s lives and the environment. Over the years, Fika staff have witnessed Finca la Esperanza employees transition out of a state of poverty due to the quality working conditions and positive treatment from the Villatoro family, according to Lindstrom. Fika has spearheaded various fundraising efforts that have helped with the construction of a bodega for the Villatoros that enabled in-house processing and higher-quality practices at the farm. Fika has also been involved with Villatoro's efforts to update processing equipment to allow the farm to reuse water (and use less overall), according to Lindstrom. Also related to Finca la Esperanza environmental practices, the Villatoros avoid clear-cutting, and practice mixing in proper shade trees, he said.
Lindstrom trusts in his relationship with the Villatoros, and in their training, education, and production practices used to produce good-quality coffee beans. “They are great people,” he says, and “They are doing the best that they can moving forward in education and production.”
The Long Miles Coffee Project
Fika also roasts beans from partners at the Long Miles Coffee Project in Burundi, Africa. The Long Miles Coffee Project was created by the Carlsons, a Minnesotan family who is passionate about protecting the well-being of coffee growers, according to Lindstrom. Cafe fundraising has supported this project in purchasing Gore-Tex rain suits – essential outdoor safety gear for coffee farm workers during the Burundi rainy season, one that at times brings more than 60 inches of rain over four months.
Building a mission and vision
“Coffee is people,” says Lindstrom. He found the initial inspiration for his Fika business mission to create and share stories while working in the coffee industry at Dunn Brothers Coffee in St. Paul, Minnesota, and having continued book discussions with a daily customer. Lindstrom was attracted to the industry because of the relationships that he built as people came back day to day and shared in conversation. The power of relationships and of people’s stories resonated with him from the beginning of his coffee-related endeavors (and still does today). Some current Fika staff members, like Cook and Tabitha Blanchard, Barista, knew one another from the coffee industry in the Twin Cities as well, further solidifying Fika’s premise that coffee brings people together. The business’s vision, supported by staff and ownership alike, is all about coffee, community, and adventure. How fitting that the business is named in honor of fika, a Swedish word that evokes images of mindful indulgence with a coffee and a sweet treat, gathering around good conversation and experiences with friends, according to Lindstrom.
Lindstrom’s family relationships have played a critical role in the Fika story as well. In 2004, on a trip along the Oregon coast, Lindstrom and his wife Stephanie encountered a coffee roaster and wholesale distributor who prompted the idea for the Fika business itself, and prompted a move back to Grand Marais after leaving as a child. “As a kid, I just had a longing to come back here,” Lindstrom says.
Roasting Facility Expansion
Some aspects of the business have transformed over the years, and one way that Fika will continue to change is with a forthcoming expansion of its roasting facilities. The shop currently roasts 20-pound batches at a time, and conducts 20 to 40 roasts in a roasting day (Tuesday through Thursday) depending on demand, according to Cook. Design plans for expansion are underway for a newly constructed roasting and green coffee bean storage space, that will also include a tasting lab and staff housing, according to Lindstrom.
Construction is slated to begin in Spring 2024 in the northernmost lot of the Grand Marais Business Park, with the potential to have the build completed in Summer 2025. The new space, totaling more than 2,500 square feet, will “provide an opportunity for both sides of the business to grow in quality; meaning it will create mental, physical, and emotional space, and be a more enjoyable work space (for roasting),” says Lindstrom. The new space will enable Fika to grow its wholesale part of the business, an area that Lindstrom has been wanting to expand. It may also open up the potential for more frequent cafe hours.
Trevor Cook operates the roasting equipment for holiday order distribution.
Fostering Fika community
Currently, the cafe is open to the public on days when staff are not roasting coffee beans (Friday through Monday). Serving up cups of hospitality amid the holiday bustle, Blanchard crafts a delicious Maple Latte (made with local maple syrup), while fostering a sense of Fika community with good story-sharing and conversation. Fika’s quality and story-driven focus comes through in that first sip of the latte, as well as in the narratives of the cafe’s other products. “A lot of the things in our store have a story behind them,” says Blanchard. Fika has partnered with local makers in the Cities to make canvas adventure bags; with a potter in the St. Cloud area to make Fika’s espresso and cappuccino cups; with local artists whose art hangs on the walls of the cafe; and with a company who carefully crafts the chocolate used in Fika’s drinks.
Fika carefully selects store products by being intentional about both quality and philosophical fit.
The cafe supports local and regional artists through partnerships for custom-made wares.
“There is always intention and thought behind the quality of the products we offer,” Blanchard says. Staff think carefully about what products the cafe carries and how those items reflect who Fika is as a business, including incorporating community connection, embracing adventure, and incorporating beauty. “Fika is about taking a moment to be mindful,” while drinking delicious coffee, according to Blanchard.
A delicious and beautiful Maple Latte, a customer favorite made with local maple syrup.
Whether it’s with a Maple Latte (a customer favorite) or some other tasty Fika indulgence, sharing in Fika’s stories makes one excited about the next leg of the shop’s adventure. Stop in the cafe and offer Fika best wishes, and perhaps share a story of your own beautiful journey. You will be sure to have a great conversation among the delicious treats.
To learn more about Fika Coffee, visit: https://fikacoffee.com/
