Bradley Van Laanen and Jackson Smith: Howler Coffee Co.
Howler Coffee Co., a local small batch coffee roaster, was created by owners/roasters Bradley Van Laanen and Jackson Smith, sparked by their mutual love for a good cup of joe.
“We started out with a love of coffee and a curiosity about roasting,” Smith said.
Van Laanen said the caffeine-adoring pair, both full-time dental technicians for a dental lab, launched Howler Coffee Co. in June 2019.
“Our roaster arrived in January 2019, and we began hobby roasting for friends and family,” he said. “We launched our site and delivery service in June 2019.”
The pair started small and have been involved in every phase of the business.
Van Laanen said it was a natural progression to set up shop at the downtown Green Bay Saturday morning Farmers’ Market, beginning in 2020.
“With COVID-19 hitting in 2020, we were able to set up with bags of our coffee offerings and pre-bottled cold brew,” he said. “We’ve been serving hot coffee and nitro cold brew on tap since the start of the 2021 season.”
Van Laanen said Howler Coffee Co. focuses on single-origin specialty grade coffees – sourcing, roasting, packaging and delivering each batch themselves.
“We source fresh beans and keep a rotating variety in the shop,” he said. “We’re excited for the upcoming El Salvador to arrive.”
Smith said on its website, Howler offers roasts-to-order options with free local delivery.
“At the market, we have a stronger focus on brewing our coffee,” he said. “We offer a simple great cup of coffee and 12-ounce bags of our beans. (The farmers’ market) community is great, and it’s awesome to be able to be a part of it.”
As far as the name, Van Laanen said it kind of stuck.
“We were pitching names around and nothing was really sticking,” he said. “Jackson’s sister is a graphic designer and offered some logo designs. We gave her some starting points and loved the design she made.”
Editor’s note: Throughout the summer months, there is no shortage of vendors filling the farmers’ markets of the Greater Green Bay area – each offering their own niche products and services.
Over the next few months, The Press Times will highlight these very vendors to give readers a peek at the people and passions behind the ventures.
If you’d like to be profiled as part of the series, reach out to Press Times editor Heather Graves at [email protected]