When out and about one night, I saw a man absolutely tearing it up, salsa dancing. We got to talking and eventually, the conversation turned towards coffee, as conversation often does. He told me about a company he started that was finally beginning to take off. I ended up buying his top shelf coffee, and to my surprise, and delight, it was some of the best coffee I’ve ever had!
Cameron Whitmore’s coffee is unique. It isn’t just terrific coffee, his coffee, “24K Gold Coffee”, includes 24K edible gold flake sprinkled in every bag, lending an aesthetic of luxury and high quality to the brand. Years ago, inspired by wanting great tasting coffee, but finding normal, store-bought coffee lacking, and always needing a generous helping of creamer to make it palatable, Whitmore decided to try for something better. So, he began by roasting coffee beans at home as a hobby. His goal was to make coffee that tastes great, without needing creamer.
While larger producers roast batches of hundreds of pounds of coffee beans at a time, often resulting in the coffee being a year old when finally purchased, Whitmore’s company, 24K Gold Coffee, is passionate about using only the highest quality beans, and only roasting in small batches to keep the coffee beans as fresh as possible. All roasting is done by Whitmore, in house, to maintain control of quality.
Whitmore believes there’s a lot of bad coffee on the market because most companies are trying to find the lowest cost/best margin for highest profit. Most people settle for whatever they can get and just add creamer to make the coffee drinkable. Whitmore’s approach is very different.
Personally, overseeing all procurement, roasting, packaging, marketing, and sales, he works tirelessly to provide a superior product. A daunting, time-consuming endeavor, but as sales picked up, Whitmore was encouraged. People really seemed to like the quality. So, he committed to reinvesting profits back into his fledgling company to make the brand even better. Sourcing the best quality product, buying a better roaster, the company eventually began to take shape, providing an incomparable, top shelf product.
“For years, I sold my coffee practically at, or below cost, and wasn’t making money. I was laser focused on getting the best product on the market instead. Eventually, I raised prices so I could keep going, stay operational, but I refuse to sacrifice quality.”
After sampling 24K Gold Coffee, I can confirm the quality is undeniable, packaging is top notch, and as agent Cooper once said, “That is a damn fine cup of coffee.”
Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.
You can order 24K Gold coffee online at: 24kgoldcoffee.com or find his coffee at Yochef Café in Kentwood, Bridge Street Market in downtown GR, Robinson’s Popcorn inside of Rivertown Mall, by chance at Fulton Street Market in the summer, or at the South East Market.
