Rising Star Roaster Drew Fitchette of Elm Coffee - Biography

To fuel his creative energies and artistic lifestyle, Seattle guitarist Drew Fitchette has always been a habitual coffee drinker. But it wasn’t until 2007, while on tour in San Francisco, that he took the sip that would change his life: his first pour-over coffee at Ritual Coffee Roasters. It was eye opening, to say the least.

Inspired by the artisanal, ethical, personal approach to sourcing, roasting, and brewing, Fitchette returned to his hometown and immersed himself in the world of the coffee bean. He landed a job at Onyx Coffee Bar in Bellingham, Washington, where he quickly rose to green coffee account manager, sourcing direct-trade Guatemalan beans. Working at Onyx taught Fitchette the merits of building and sustaining long-lasting relationships with farmers—something he carried over to his next job as a roaster at Stumptown Coffee.

During his tenure at Stumptown, Fitchette met his future employer Brendan Mullally—formerly of New York’s Joe Pro Shop—through a mutual friend at Portland’s Heart. The men exchanged ideas and realized incredible similarities in their coffee ideology. Shortly after meeting, Elm Coffee was born, and Fitchette could not feel more at home, purchasing and roasting to highlight the terroir and the beans farmers bring to market. For his work, Fitchette earned a 2015 StarChefs Rising Star Artisan Award.  He also still finds time to strum on the side with his current band, Valley Maker.