For more than 100 years, Buck Knives has been guided by a set of family values and traditions that have been passed between generations of knife makers. Many of those same values have been instilled into Ben and Will Weyer from their own parents, Tim and Liz. This is the story of their family’s craft, and how coffee has helped develop their relationship with the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
In the Valley
Ben sits in the rowers seat, slowly adding water over coffee that he roasted just hours before. Will is standing in the bow, closely watching for trout sipping beatis and admiring the river that helped instill the brothers’ shared love for southwest Montana.
“Will, would you care for another cup?”
“Sure. But let me find a fish first.” It has been a mild fall. Today the valley is glowing with cottonwoods, but you can feel winter coming.
Quality Driven
Ben and Will operate Yellowstone Coffee Roasters on their family’s homestead in southwest Montana. In 1998, their parents, Tim and Liz Weyer, started roasting coffee in a one room log cabin with the intention of bringing local coffee to the Bozeman area.
Today, they roast in a restored outbuilding on a historic homestead on the Bozeman Pass, but the two guiding principles for their roasting have remained unchanged: exceptional quality and true consistency.
Meticulously, they work at their craft. Ben adjusts knobs and levers behind a small machine, roasting coffees that may eventually make their way onto shelves after extensive sampling and quality control.
“Coffee roasting is this fascinating fusion of science and art. The adjustments we make during the course of a roast brings out different flavors and characteristics. The decisions we make at this cupping table is what makes each coffee unique. This is where the artisan process really takes place.”
While Ben samples arrivals from a recent Colombian harvest, Will carefully regulates variables behind their 24 kilogram American made roaster. Under his watchful eye, the beans move through the first crack and the aroma of fresh roasted coffee fills the building.
Their parents watch over with pride as Will finishes roasting a dark roast blend that has been refined through more than two decades of their family’s artisan roasting process.
Will explains that dark roasted coffee has become a bit of a lost art. “So many roasters substitute cheap coffees into their dark roasts because they think the robust flavors can hide the poor quality. Our dad has always emphasized the importance of sourcing excellent coffees for all of our roasts.”
Quality driven. Always consistent. You can taste the roasters’ attention to detail and their family’s passion for their craft in every cup.
Coffee Is Connection
“It seems like a lot of folks view coffee as this drink that helps get us out of bed and get to work on time. Or maybe they see it as something that helps fuel our next great adventure. In part, this is true but I think coffee is more than a simple caffeine boost.”
Ben and Will are staring into the Absaroka Range sipping a new seasonal blend they’ve created with a local non-profit that focuses on conservation in the Greater Yellowstone region. They’re discussing the Yellowstone elk herd migration that will begin in the next few weeks and are pointing out ski lines up a steep drainage that they hope will come in after a deep spring storm.
“I think we often forget the value of the ritual of making a cup of coffee, and the space it creates to help us slow down. To take a moment and notice things we wouldn’t normally see. To appreciate the place where we’re drinking it and connect with the people we share it with. To us, that’s the real value in coffee.”
Ben and Will then go on to discuss some of their favorite memories they’ve shared in the Greater Yellowstone backcountry, many of which were enriched by a simple coffee moment. They confess that those shared experiences have helped them gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for southwest Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
The brothers share passions that run deeper than transitioning into their family’s business and coffee roasting. Passions and values that were instilled in them from their parents and the people who have protected the Greater Yellowstone for centuries. “We hope that when people drink Yellowstone Coffee it helps them connect with and appreciate this place. Our goal is that our coffee helps create an experience that is meaningful. And hopefully that experience helps folks understand the value of public land and why we must work together to protect and preserve the wild spaces we share.”
The brothers row toward the takeout as the sun slips behind the Gallatin Range and the evening light on Mount Delano fades from gold to grey. Will turns to his older brother in the rowers seat and speaks, “This is home. I hope it will never change.”
