WS Chronicle

A few years ago, Andy Henry decided to become a more integral part of his father’s coffee business. Since then, Henry’s Fresh Roast (HFR) has not only grown in sales, but also grown in their efforts to give back.

Henry’s Fresh Roast was started by Andy’s father, David Henry, who is a retired minister. David Henry started off making his own coffee as a hobby and it grew into a business in 2011.

“He (David Henry) would order a small amount of beans and he started out on a cookie sheet in an oven and then he roasted with a popcorn popper and then a bread machine. He just like tried all different kinds of different stuff,” said Henry about how his father got started with the business. “Then eventually in 2011, he did some research and he designed his own roaster.

“It’s something a lot of people have done. My dad kind of did it in a way and just started to make some money with it. It’s a modified barbeque grill.”

A few years ago, Mr. Henry retired from the ministry due to some medical reasons and focused solely on the coffee business. Soon afterwards, Andy and his wife Cheri took on more responsibility with the business.

“We really just wanted to help them out. We saw potential for the business to make more money than what it was making, so we decided to step in and pitch in to help mom and dad with their retirement,” said Andy about the company. “One of the things I see in the business is the potential to become a full-time career for both me and my wife.

HFR is different from most other coffee you can buy because it comes from a small batch roaster. They use single origin beans, meaning every batch of beans is from one particular farm group. They are also very meticulous with their roasting to make sure they have the best quality beans to sell.

“There is a lot of attention to detail that goes into the roast,” said Henry. “My dad takes copious notes when he is roasting. He checks the temperature every 60 seconds and records it. He records the ambient temperature and the humidity, just everything you can possibly think of that would affect the roasting process, just in case there are any accidents, he knows what happens.

“The other thing that sets our coffee apart is sort of a philosophy that my dad has had the entire time. He doesn’t use the business as a direct form of ministry, but that’s sort of in the very fabric of the way he thinks. So, when he is selecting a new coffee, we have different importers that we go to, and we use the information they give us to pick out coffees that have a cause behind it.”

Several of the beans that Henry’s Fresh Roast purchases benefit the people from that country of origin. The Henrys have a firm belief that helping others is more important than just making a profit. They are also doing a fundraiser for the people of Ukraine through World Hope International that will help with victims of the war-torn country.

Not only is HFR selling individual bags of their coffee, they have also made their way into local coffee shops as well. The company continues to grow as their reach expands throughout the Triad.

“The business has grown, and it has been very significant,” Henry continued. “Since we have started, I don’t know that it has doubled, but it’s probably pretty close to that. We sell at the Fairground’s farmer’s market and pop-up markets.

“A lot of people are starting to understand that there is a whole new world of coffee available. When you are not just going for that caffeine buzz, but you also want a quality flavor, it’s not hard to find.”

According to Henry, many of their customers are repeat customers. Their coffee is fresh and is usually roasted the day before being sold, which is a great selling point for the business. HFR will also roast the beans the way the customer wants it done when ordered online.

Helping others is one of the primary reasons that Andy Henry would like to continue to grow the business.  

“That is so high up there on the list of reasons that I want to continue to do that it would be hard to say what was second behind that,” Andy Henry said about his motivations. “Being raised in a pastor’s house, that’s just kind of being instilled in me.”

The next goal for HFR is to continue growing the business to make larger quantities of coffee while also maintaining their small business roots.  

To purchase Henry’s Fresh Roast, please visit www.henrysfreshroast.com or visit their social media page on Facebook and Instagram at Henry’s Fresh Roast and Henry’s_Fresh_Roast, respectively.