Mela Roasting Coffee Company

Mela Coffee Roasting Co. is a specialty coffee roaster and café located in the Wenatchee Valley of Washington State. Founded in 2007, the company operates out of a storefront in downtown Wenatchee, where it serves as both a production facility and a community hub. The business is owned and operated by Kyle Hendrickson, who has maintained the company's presence in the region for nearly two decades.

The company’s core operational philosophy centers on the production of specialty coffee, a designation reserved for beans that achieve a score of 80 or higher on the 100-point scale established by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). By focusing on these high-scoring lots, Mela aims to provide a product that represents the top tier of global coffee production, which is estimated to account for approximately 5% of the world's total coffee output.

Production at Mela is characterized by a micro-batch roasting approach. This method allows the roastery to maintain tight control over roast profiles, ensuring that the specific characteristics of various origins—ranging from Central American to Indonesian beans—are preserved. The company emphasizes the development of detailed roast profiles for each coffee, with the goal of highlighting the unique flavor nuances inherent in the raw material.

In addition to its roasting operations, Mela maintains a retail café that serves as a primary venue for its coffee program. The café offers a variety of espresso-based drinks, pour-overs, and drip coffee, alongside a menu of breakfast and lunch items, including scratch-made pastries. The space is also utilized as a venue for local art, with rotating exhibitions featured monthly to engage the local Wenatchee community.

Mela is known for its signature blends, such as the 'Emilia' and 'Vero' espresso offerings. The Emilia blend is frequently cited as a mainstay, often described as a balanced, sweet espresso with notes of cocoa and hazelnut, while the Vero blend is marketed as a darker, more traditional option featuring Sumatran and Central American components. These products are available both in-store and through a subscription service that emphasizes freshness, with the company aiming to ship coffee within 24 to 48 hours of the roast date.

The company’s sourcing strategy involves selecting beans from diverse global regions, including micro-lots from countries such as Peru, Honduras, and Brazil. By working with these specific origins, Mela seeks to showcase the depth and diversity of coffee production. The roastery’s commitment to the craft extends to the brewing process, where staff are trained to execute techniques that complement the specific roast profiles developed in the production facility.

Today, Mela Coffee Roasting Co. remains a fixture of the Wenatchee downtown area. It continues to operate as a small-scale, quality-focused business, balancing its role as a local café with its broader mission of roasting and distributing specialty coffee to a wider audience. Its longevity in the market is attributed to a consistent focus on technical precision in roasting and a commitment to maintaining a welcoming, community-oriented retail environment.