Do What Matters

11,411. The joke around our house is that number represents how many cups of coffee I’ve made for my wife over the last thirty years. In retrospect, it doesn’t seem like that many. The French Press was my gateway. It lead to Chemex and ceramic drippers. At some point, I added better grinders. There was a commercial espresso machine and grinder in the kitchen, then a Technivorm brewer.

In 1997, my wife Rebecca and I were laying the groundwork for DOMA Coffee; we just didn’t know it at the time. We have known from the start, however, that what we do matters. From the humble beginnings in our garage to our current incarnation, we’ve kept our noses firmly pressed to the grindstone.

Our inspiration is drawn from our local surroundings and travel to coffee-producing countries. We have surrounded ourselves with community-minded artists, thinkers and outdoor enthusiasts who live, work and play in the landscape of the North Idaho Panhandle.

DOMA is named after our two sons, Dominic and Marco. Our logo with ‘The Man’ is a picture of my father at the beach in Coeur d’Alene in the 1940’s with the Playland Pier in the background.

Along with community and family values, roasting at DOMA combines science and craft. Our lead roaster, Jim Hottenroth, holds a chemistry degree, a background he puts to good use. Each small-batch is methodically trialed, tested and recorded in order to create flavorful, consistent roasts.

We are proud of our packaging, displays and promotional work, but it’s what happens ‘off label’ that sets DOMA apart. As third-generation family-owned business people, we value inclusive decision making in our day-to-day operations with staff. We maintain open communication with employees and actively empower them to contribute ideas and provide feedback. We work hard to better our communities — both local and global — through philanthropy and outreach. Most importantly, we strive to improve our knowledge of the industry and business practices.

In short, we’re passionate about coffee — and we’ve built a life around this passion. One thing that has remained constant for me from the start is the zen-like moment each time I make coffee in the morning: pouring the beans into the hand grinder, standing outside to grind so as not to wake anyone, filling the water kettle and then carefully setting everything up while waiting for the water to boil. The motion, the sounds, and smells — really, the whole process — continue to captivate me to this day. With any luck, I’ll be able to almost double that number I mentioned at the start.

Our dedication to the craft and our commitment to sustainability connects DOMA to our customers. That dedication and passion will allow us to continue roasting quality coffees for generations to come.

For me, the question has never been, “why do we do what we do?”, it’s always, why would you do it any other way?

—Terry Patano