Honduras RPCV Mark Howell learned everything he knows about the coffee industry while in the Peace Corps
Success is brewing
By Patricia A. Russell / News Correspondent
Saturday, July 12, 2003
FRANKLIN -- At the end of the workday, Mark Howell figures he's had two, maybe three, and, on occasion four cups of coffee.
Not bad for a guy who is surrounded by coffee all day and readily acknowledges that "coffee is my passion."
Leaning up against a counter and nursing a cup of dark roasted coffee, the 34-year-old Bellingham resident asks if he's mentioned that he also samples nine to 12 cups of coffee (without cream and sugar) on average each day.
These cups of coffee, though, are not actually for enjoyment or, for that matter, drinking. Rather, Howell tastes the coffee -- it's called cupping -- and then spits it out before sampling another.
"I'm looking at quality, smelling for aroma and tasting for flavor," said Howell, who went into the coffee business last August.
Commonwealth Coffee Company is located in the Franklin Innovative Center at 31 Hayward St., in a former mill complex built in 1909 that was a felt mill at one time.
After scouting a site to open his business, he found the separate, freestanding building and fell in love with its 3,000 square feet.
Commonwealth Coffee Company is a specialty coffee roaster. Beans are bought from around the world, including Indonesia, Colombia, Jamaica, Guatemala, Costa Rico, Ethiopia, Peru and Puerto Rico.
"I like to have a variety of suppliers," said Howell.
He points out that he only buys the best quality, the top 5 percent of the crop.
"That's how I differentiate myself from other coffee companies," said Howell, who worked the last five years in the construction industry as a financial analyst.
He learned everything he knows about the coffee industry while in the Peace Corps in Honduras for two years. A Providence College business graduate, Howell said he wasn't interested in working for "corporate America" and wanted to travel. Joining the Peace Corps allowed him to travel and earn a living.
While in the Peace Corps in western Honduras, he acted as a small business adviser and made friends with people in the coffee business. They were considering opening a roasting facility to attract the tourist industry and Howell ended up being the quality control manager.
When he returned home, the seeds had been planted. He would open his own roasting business and offer specialty coffees from around the world.
"Coffee is the second largest commodity, next to oil," he said.
Of his work in the Peace Corps and his job in the roasting facility, Howell said he learned "a lot of things."
"It was a great experience," said Howell, who met his future wife, Gloria, while he was traveling. She was born in Argentina and grew up in Israel, he said, adding that his wife also "loves coffee."
For the last year, Howell has spent his days roasting coffee in his warehouse and making deliveries in the afternoon. While he's out making deliveries, he also tries to make sales.
"Basically I'm trying to get my name out there," he said.
When he approaches, say, a coffeehouse, he is asking them to "switch coffee" and try serving his coffee.
Americans are becoming more sophisticated coffee drinkers, he said.
"Instead of people asking for French vanilla coffee they are asking for Kenyan AA or Guatemalan Antigua," he says.
Commonwealth Coffee Company roasts coffee in small batches to control the roast and ensure that the beans are at their peak.
On a roasting day, Howell roasts about 33 pounds of coffee at a time. His roaster heats up to a temperature of "roughly 275 degrees." The process takes about 15 minutes, "give or take" a few minutes. During the roasting process, Howell is checking the temperature and the look of the roasted beans because every bean roasts differently.
"(The process) is a science and an art," he said, as he dumped some roasted beans into his signature coffee bags: shiny copper ones with a schooner on them.
"I wanted something that would say quality and not be trendy," he said. The boat also reflects his family history on his mother's side, which includes a sea captain.
When Howell is not testing black coffee, he enjoys drinking it for pleasure, although he prefers his own special blends. His favorite: Kenyan.
