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Looking ahead to 2025 at RSR

Looking ahead to 2025 at RSR

Brian Gumm

Jan 04, 2025

In April, RSR turns 10 years old. That just blows my (Brian's) mind. A little hobby that started in a garage on Ross Street in Toledo, Iowa, has become a sustainable small business that's beaten the odds for most small businesses, especially those that start in small towns in rural counties.

We've done so in a market that's become saturated with specialty coffee roasters in the years since we've started, in a global market that's undergoing a lot of consolidation by large and mid-size players alike. This is a tough business, but I'm proud of what we've accomplished despite the odds. 

Year 9 was pretty good!

As is my custom right around the first of the year, I've been pouring over data from last year and I like what I see. Our business grew in 2024 by a greater margin than we've seen in recent years. We held costs steady in a market that's experiencing some levels of volatility.

In the back office of the business, I've been methodically working over the past few years to trim all the fat and make RSR the leanest, meanest little business it can be and we're starting to enjoy the benefits of that work. We also welcomed our Ops Manager & Roaster, Jenny Rosario, into the ownership group of RSR. Jenny and I are now the active owners managing the business.

Other wins from 2024 include welcoming a handful of new commercial accounts. Make sure to check them out if you're close by! 

And more on the way for 2025! 

Changes to Local Pickup & Delivery

Effective immediately we will no longer offer local delivery or pickup at the roastery at 202 Harmon in Tama.

But don't worry, Tama-Toledo friends! We have added Hardon's Outdoor as a local pickup option in our online store checkout. Their hours are much more predictable and regular than ours at the roastery. This is a win-win-win. 

Roast days remain Monday & Thursday and Shipping days are Tuesday & Friday. So we'll deliver orders for local pickup to Hardon's Outdoor on Tuesday & Friday. Make sure to have your emailed order receipt handy. 

We hope to have more exciting updates for local customers on our partnership with Hardon's Outdoor soon. :) 

Saying Goodbye

I do have a few sad product-related announcements to share as a result of my 2024 analysis...

  • We have discontinued the Oil Derek & The Front 40 coffee products due to lagging sales.
    • Fans of Oil Derek can check out Bohemian Gothic, which is the same coffee roasted a little less dark than we used to roast Oil Derek. 
    • Fans of The Front 40 can check out Meow That's What I Call Light Roast!, which is a similar blend and roast profile and happens to work well in an espresso situation
  • The Bohemian Gothic Single-Serve Packs have been priced to move this year. We will sell them through October, unless we sell out prior to that time, and we don't currently plan on producing that product again after that. 

Those are the house-keeping items for this beginning of 2025 update.

We haven't yet started to plan for this, but we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary this year in a few different ways, so keep your eyes on the newsletter and social channels for updates on those festivities!