Community is created through gatherings, shared interests, and, mostly, a sense of belonging. If you happen to be in Geist and a steaming cup of joe is your happy place, you’d probably find a whole clan of your people at a cozy little place called Geist Coffee. Founded in 2018, Geist Coffee has been a beacon for local espresso drinkers who come for the coffee and stay for the community.
Jeremy Balch and family launched Geist Coffee to provide quality coffee to their community. Their family has always bonded over coffee, making Geist Coffee the next logical step in sharing their passion with neighbors and friends.
Jeremy is often found behind the counter, while his wife bakes pastries and other goodies for hungry customers. In the past, their two children were also frequently seen behind the counter, working at the coffee shop while attending college nearby. As of 2025, that passion and family collaboration has now expanded to include Geist Coffee Roasters, with their son Josh at the helm. Geist Coffee Roasters was a dream turned reality that stemmed from a desire to provide a quality brew all the way from the bean to the cup.
“The drive to open the roastery came from wanting to truly understand the details behind sourcing greens as well as the processes of roasting and blending great coffee. Bringing these in-house ensures that we are in control of what we are serving and provides wonderful opportunities to educate our team and community,” says Balch.
Geist Coffee Roasters opened its doors in March after months of fine-tuning their roasts and blends. The roastery offers coffees sourced from around the world. Based on seasonal availability, they’ll be bringing customers coffee from Brazil, Mexico, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Guatemala.
The decision to include their son in their roastery has allowed them to have a clear line of communication, better team buy-in and a combined vision of excellence in their new endeavor.
“Along with our son Josh, we are also working closely with the Roaster of the Year winner to help dial in our roasts, source coffee and improve our roasting techniques. Tapping into their knowledge has given us a great understanding of best practices and how to approach coffees from various origins,” says Balch.
Attention to detail has never been lacking at Geist Coffee, but Balch hopes the roastery will allow their business to be more intentional in what they serve and who they support. Many of the ingredients are sourced from local farms, and they make many of their syrups in-house. Their team of baristas wants to grab hold of and own the creative coffee-making process.
Balch and family hope this next step will give their team a deeper understanding and knowledge of what truly makes a great craft coffee, which will have a positive impact on their community.
“Any time a business deepens its knowledge and commitment to a product, it has the potential to impact others with its passion for excellence. Our roastery will not only provide education for our customers but also offer a unique opportunity for our cafe team to deepen their knowledge,” he says.
Geist Coffee Roastery also plans to tap into other opportunities for coffee lovers in the near future, including coffee cupping (tasting), educational classes, and coffee subscriptions.
If java is your jam, make sure you are checking out Geist Coffee Company at geist.coffee.
