ABOUT US
It all started in April of 2008...
At the time, Carin Agren had been working as a flight attendant for 10 years, when her airline suddenly went bankrupt. Finding herself unemployed, she needed to find a new career. Having always thought it would be "fun" to own a coffee shop, she put the idea into action. At the time, Ground was owned by a couple of people looking to sell and get out of the coffee industry.
It took 3 months to get all the financing ready to buy the shop located in the heart of downtown Hood River. Carin jumped in blind and head first. Not really knowing how to run a business, the learning process was tough, steep, and fast. It was also fun and rewarding!
In January 2009, Ground started roasting it's own coffee. Starting small with a micro roaster that only did 2 lbs. at a time. After a few years we started to get other shops wanting to buy our beans! We definitely needed a bigger roaster. In 2015 we upgraded to a 10 lb. Ashe Machine.
Fast forward 10 years... and business is BOOMING. Hood River has grown, as well as the surrounding areas. Our little spot in the Columbia Gorge is not just a sports destination anymore, but a bustling town with a huge tech industry. We have new wineries and breweries opening all over, and the fruit and berry farming is ABUNDANT.
People and families keep moving to town because it is a fabulous, GORGEOUS place to call home.
Ground is a bakery, coffee shop, restaurant and roaster all in one. We bake all of our pastries fresh every morning, roast our coffee in-house, and we make all of our soups, dressings, and spreads from scratch. We try to buy most of our ingredients from local farmers and businesses. We believe in helping improve the local economy and keeping the money and jobs in the community.
Our beans are mostly organic and we buy a large percentage straight from the growers, Direct Trade. In addition to roasting coffee for Ground, we also roast for our sister shop, Doppio. It's located just up the street, also on Oak street.
We have a few more wholesale accounts as well, and are looking forward to expanding that part of our business.
One of the keys to our success is how we treat our staff. We believe in treating people well. We believe that it makes a BIG difference in how a business is faring.
Happy staff equals happy customers.
...and the rest is history.
