Our Story
Strata Coffee Roasting opened its doors in 2020 with a 1K Mill City Roaster and a goal to bring something new to the Albany and Leesburg community. As the only roaster in our area, we set out to create a place where specialty coffee wasn’t just available—it was accessible, local, and crafted with intention. It didn’t take long for the community’s support to outpace our early capacity, and within a year we upgraded to a 10K roaster to keep up with growing demand from subscribers, customers, and the local cafés we now supply—including our sister company, Temp Coffee.
Sourcing has always been at the heart of what we do. The majority of our coffees come through Café Imports in Minneapolis, a partner whose commitment to quality and ethical, sustainable relationships mirrors our own values. Our team has traveled to Minneapolis for roasting certifications and training with the expert crew at Mill City Roasters, ensuring every batch we roast is backed by knowledge, consistency, and craft.
For us, coffee is a way to slow down and reconnect with the simple moments that matter. We love the community that forms around a shared cup, and we’re proud to contribute to that sense of connection here in Southwest Georgia. Every bag we roast reflects our dedication to the people we serve and the stories that bring us together.
Thanks for being part of our journey. We’re grateful you’re here—pull up a chair, pour a cup, and stay awhile.
Isaac Evans
Isaac has been head roaster at Strata since 2024. He loves coffee because it’s methodical and meditative. It demands curiosity, precision, and a willingness to keep learning. Isaac thrives in that tension. For him, roasting isn’t just about turning green coffee brown; it’s about paying close attention, making small, intentional adjustments, and chasing the moment when a coffee opens up and reveals something new.
Lately, Isaac has been particularly drawn to natural processed Colombian coffees. Their vibrant fruit notes, their layered sweetness, their unexpected clarity. They’ve challenged him, delighted him, and shaped the way he thinks about roast development. There’s always more to explore in the cup, and that’s what makes coffee worth pursuing.
Catherine Garrett
Catherine is our part-owner, brand manager, and part-time roaster, bringing creativity and intention to every part of Strata Coffee Roasting. Since taking over operations in 2022, she has completed the Mill City Roasting 101 program and continues to deepen her knowledge of sourcing, roasting, and specialty coffee.
Between being a parent, co-owning Strata and our sister company Temp Coffee, managing teams, and handling design work for both businesses, Catherine’s schedule doesn’t always leave room for roasting. But whenever she does get the chance, she loves returning to the original 1K Mill City roaster. She gravitates toward lighter-roasted, natural processed coffees—especially from Ethiopia and Colombia—for their clarity, sweetness, and vibrant complexity.
She draws inspiration from the many farmers and producers she has learned about throughout her coffee journey. For Catherine, coffee is about connection—understanding the people behind each harvest and sharing their work with the community here at home.
