SEQUIM — “Someday” has come for Don Batcheller, the man behind Rainshadow Coffee Roasting Co.
Batcheller, who’s been roasting coffee beans for 15 years, celebrated the opening of his cafe at 157 W. Cedar St. last week with much pouring of java, ginger and oatmeal cookies and a klatch of local business people.
The Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce and Mayor Ken Hays welcomed Rainshadow, supplier of 10 coffees from around the planet, to the downtown cafe lineup with a ribbon-cutting Thursday afternoon.
Batcheller has been roasting and selling his coffees here since 2009; he’d wanted to open a shop “someday.”
And Rainshadow looks lively, as befits a caffeinated spot: Comedic paintings by local artist Jeff Tocher adorn the walls through September, and Skip Kratzer’s “auto art” will appear next month.
In a former life, Batcheller was a mechanic in Santa Barbara, Calif.
His mission
Now, his mission is to provide fine, fierce coffees for the North Olympic Peninsula.
He joins a few other North Olympic Peninsula roasters, such as Sunrise Coffee Co. in Port Townsend and Princess Valiant in Port Angeles, in that endeavor.
At The Bushwhacker in Port Angeles, one of the restaurants pouring Rainshadow coffees, owner Bob Grattan said Rainshadow coffee is more expensive than the average cup — and worth it.
People notice the freshness, Grattan said.
“We’re about serving a good cup of coffee after dinner,” he added, “and supporting local businesses.”
The new Rainshadow cafe in Sequim hosts free coffee-tastings every Friday from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m., so “people can come in and taste any or all,” Batcheller said, adding that he buys beans from the coffee lands of Costa Rica, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala and Sumatra.
Batcheller opens Rainshadow’s doors seven days a week: from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Sundays.
The roaster can be reached at 360-681-0650, while his website is at www.RainshadowCoffee.com.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3550 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
