Meet Your Makers: Dave Lanning of Dave's Coffee Syrups

Coffee junkies! This one’s for you. Something huge is coming out of the tiny state of Rhode Island and it’s pretty sweet. Provenance Food & Wine staffer Nathan was able to talk with Dave’s Coffee CEO Dave Lanning about his all-natural coffee syrups, the artful craft of small-batch roasting, and taking pride in being part of the craft coffee roasting movement. So liven up your next brew with a spoonful (or two) of Dave’s delicious coffee syrups and read on…


1 At Provenance Food and Wine (PFW) we love being able to carry small-batch, handcrafted products with attention to detail. Why is being a small, local Certified Organic Coffee Roaster so important to your business and its mission?

Lanning: For us, having control over each batch of coffee means sharing a personal touch for maintaining and developing flavor, aroma and bringing out the unique characteristics of each coffee. The organic aspect supports our overall vision of clean, pure ingredients – this is an aspect we carry over to our line of Dave’s All Natural Coffee Syrup as well.

2 As a kid the smell of coffee brewing in our kitchen was always a constant. Has coffee always been a part of your family growing up and how did you find your way to making a career out of roasting and enjoying coffee?

Lanning: The preparation and ritual of enjoying coffee has always been an integral part of my life. But, it wasn’t until about twelve years ago that I discovered coffee from a culinary point of view. Being an avid cook and enjoyer of great food and drink, I began to appreciate the different characteristics and flavor profiles from each origin and how roasting was able to showcase these traits. It was then that I knew that coffee could easily turn from a passion in my life into a career.

3 If the journey is supposed to be more important than the destination, what line of work were you involved in before beginning Dave’s Coffee? And was it at all coffee related or did life throw you the ultimate curve ball and that’s what led to your current business?

Lanning: I have always been creative and enjoyed expressing my creativity in various ways. My schooling was in Mechanical Engineering, quite different from coffee roasting. But, the mechanical background and creativity have come into play in coffee roasting. After working in the field of engineering, I worked building a few retail businesses that eventually lead to creating Dave’s Coffee.

4 Growing up I was always in the kitchen with my parents learning the ins and outs and ways around which for a time made me want to be a chef when I grew up. Being able to work with amazing wine and food at Provenance affords me that opportunity for ongoing education. When you were growing up was being a small batch coffee roaster on the brain or did you have other plans for when you became a 'big kid'?

Lanning: Coffee was not as well understood or appreciated when I was growing up as it is today. So, being part of the craft coffee roasting movement was not in my sights. But, I was always interested in art, learning, teaching and constructing. So, indirectly those desires have carried over into building a business and creating a product that showcases uniqueness and individuality.

5 To me the world of coffee is just that: its own entire world full of people that eat, sleep, breathe, live the stuff. Being a coffee roaster and running your own successful business obviously requires a passion for your product. Was there an ‘A-ha!’ moment that sparked your interest in working with coffee beans?

Lanning: Well, you could say that. Dave's Coffee got its’ start in a 1740s farm house in 2003 as an espresso bar in the sleepy beach town of Charlestown, Rhode Island. My wife and I also own a clothing boutique and I started serving coffee for the husbands and men to enjoy while their partners browsed and shopped. At the same time, the specialty coffee world was just beginning to take hold and I knew the timing was perfect to jump in and be part of it.

6 You’ve mentioned your roasting style (slightly smoky, bold, and steadfast) reflects the way you enjoy drinking coffee. Where or what inspires the desired flavor profiles of your roasts? How much does the region and environment where your beans are grown affect the final product?

Lanning: Each coffee product we offer stems from a deliberate creative process that celebrates the Dave’s Coffee brand. For example, The Black Crow is a dark coffee roast that is smoky with hints of thick honey and notes of caramelized sugar. The Sumatran coffee roasted for this blend has an oily sheen to it, much like the feathers of a black crow. During the naming process, I felt the beans reminded me of a song by the American folk band Bon Iver. The lyrics state…

"There's a Black Crow sitting across from me, his wiry legs are crossed. And he's dangling my keys, even fakes a toss."

That verse inspired the name of the coffee blend. Every product under our brand is created with similar inspiration and awareness, then packaged with a distinct personality that mimics each offering.

As for the origins of our coffee beans, I like to use the analogy of wine regions since we vary our sources based on the time of year and season. We follow the growing and harvesting belt across the world and select coffees that are from the first harvest of the crop. This keeps our offerings unique and seasonal.

7 We totally dig your syrups. Customers love hearing about how your cold-brewing method helps retain as much flavor and intensity as possible without compromising the coffees character through traditional brewing methods; a huge benefit to any coffee enthusiast looking to enjoy the product to its fullest. What other benefits do your company and its products offer to retailers and consumers?

Lanning: We keep an active social presence and like to share recipes and partner offerings, so that is a great way for customers to stay involved with our brand. Recipes vary from some in-house dishes like Dave’s Roasted Pears to cocktail creations from local mixologists. A big part of a product like our coffee syrup is in fun of experimenting with the flavor profiles across many different uses.

8 It must be an awesome experience working in small batches using your custom-made gas fired roaster. Being able to work so closely and attentively to a product and all by hand must be extremely rewarding. What would you say is your favorite part of the business?

Lanning: My favorite part of Dave’s Coffee is having the opportunity to produce a product that has been touched by so many hands along the way and having the end customer understand and share in the enjoyment of what we do. I love explaining to customers that the coffee they are drinking has been harvested by hand, sorted by hand, dried, processed and delivered, and finally roasted and bagged all by people. All of the steps along the way of bringing coffee to the customer requires the senses of sight, touch, taste and smell. It’s really amazing when you think about it.

9 And finally, along the way of working directly with growers, experimenting with flavor profiles, and building up layers of character through bean selection and roasting method, are there any truly great stand-out moments that made you realize you’re doing what you love?

Lanning: I personally have a strong presence on the front line with our customers. I am at events, market demos and tastings to interact directly with our customers. This gives me the appreciation of seeing the reaction when people taste our coffee and coffee syrups. It’s at these times when I realize that I’m bringing enjoyment into their lives and they are bringing happiness into mine. That’s a feeling that can’t be beat.