Brewing on the Web: Coastal Roasters Extends Online Reach

The aromas of the popular “Fogland Cutter” and “Fort Barton Breakfast Blend” waft through the air of daily, and the periodical roasting of the beans keeps pace with the foot traffic filing in and mingling.

Founder and business manager Donald Machado was found roasting a new batch of blends on-site earlier this week in their Diedrich IR-12 Kilo Roaster. But his efforts aren't limited to the coffee shop.

Machado says he's putting more emphasis on Coastal Roasters' online presence, having recently revamped their web homepage to appeal more to their e-commerce program. Machado said they started a Coffee of the Month Club on the site and added the ability to buy individual bags of coffee there. When clicking on “How to Buy,” customers can purchase individual one-pound coffee bags, ground or whole bean.

The club is a monthly subscription where a customer selects a coffee and the order is received in a couple of days. In the following month, Coastal Roasters will automatically ship that order from the Coffee of the Month Calendar. In addition, they will roast one unique batch for the club.

Coastal Roasters has also extended its presence on Facebook and Twitter. The website will soon also have a blog.

Machado has been operating Coastal Roasters in Tiverton with co-owner Lisa Machado since May 2002. In the beginning, the two worked to get the small empty building, located at 1791 Main Road by the Sakonnet River, outfitted and operational. Since then, one needs to look no further at their success, given the daily foot traffic. With the warmer weather approaching, the outdoor seating area along Main Road provides an ample spot to sit and enjoy a coffee and pastry. Machado said their three-bean “Fogland Fogcutter” is the most popular coffee by far, selling twice as much.

“About 70 percent of the coffee is certified organic and fair trade,” he said.

Coastal Roasters sells wholesale to area vendors, such as in Portsmouth, in Little Compton, the Art Café in Little Compton and Lepage’s Seafood and Grille in Fall River. Machado said they also sell at area venues, such as in Portsmouth and the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, and recently opened up a kiosk at Nina’s Café in the Truesdale Clinic in Fall River.

All that's great for business, but so too is this new reach on the web.

Machado currently has 377 followers on Facebook. Like other businesses taking advantage of social media, Machado is finding the tools a way to extend the conversation with customers —both current and potential ones — beyond the coffee counter.

On Facebook, Machado has had the ability to update followers all over with updates on Coastal Roasters, while also going back-and-forth with local fans about what's going on right here in Tiverton.

While Coastal Roasters makes a majority of the updates, plenty of fans have started to reach out online to share their support.

Machado says Coastal Roasters currently serves about 400 customers per day. He's hoping his efforts on the web help that number continue to grow.

“It’s taking off,” he said.