Meet Jay Bagley Jacob Bower
of Rubicon Coffee Paonia
Rubicon Coffee is located in Paonia, Colorado. When we began our business, we collaborated with a local baker and winemaker to open a retail location where customers could drink our coffee and enjoy a wonderful home baked pastry while enjoying the view. And what a view it is.
Mount Lamborn and Landsend were bearing down on us as we sat in front of the building. Customers watched as coffee beans were roasted in the Diedrich 2.5kg roaster. This small batch roaster roasts about 15 pounds of finely roasted coffee per hour.
We quickly out-grew the 2.5 kg roaster. In 2021, we acquired a Diedrich IR 12 kg roaster. It is a massive upgrade! This roaster is capable of roasting 92 pounds per hour. That’s a lot of coffee! Diedrich roasters are well known in the industry for their dependability, consistency, and quality. These roasters definitely live up to their reputation.
We offer the true coffee roastery experience where customers can enjoy a free cup of joe, experience the roasting process, and experience sensory events such as cupping new coffees.
Meet Founder Jay Bagley
Spending a working lifetime in the ‘fast lane’ began many years ago. A lot of travel was part of those days and it was something immensely enjoyed. I experienced much of Europe and a little of the Middle East and Central America, most for work, some for play. Upon returning to the United States I moved to Alaska to experience the ‘last frontier.’ There was always one thing that could help me slow down and “enjoy the ride” during all of those ‘early days.’ A PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE! While I found many excellent coffees in all of my travels, for my taste there seemed to be more mediocre cups than fine ones. The beauty, pace of living, and the people of Colorado have been on my radar since 1972 when I was stationed with the Air Force in Colorado Springs. I always migrated back to Colorado for vacations.
Finally, after many years of thinking about it and planning, I moved to Paonia, right in the heart of the valley to the majestic Northfork of the Gunnison River. The agricultural bounty, beautiful mountains, and amazing artists, writers, musicians, and all around talented people made me decide to stay here. Once here, I continued my search for that PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE! Again, I found some excellent coffee and many mediocre roasts. I began home roasting coffee beans while still searching for that perfect cup of coffee. I have finally been able to come up with some superb roasts of fine coffee from many places in the ‘coffee belt’ and decided to share that experience with people in Western Colorado.
Meet Jacob Bower, Head Roaster at Rubicon Coffee
Jacob Bower came to Rubicon in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. His extensive experience in the food industry covers every type of restaurant from short order to gourmet. His knowledge of all areas of food handling and preparing provides perfect skills for the coffee industry. He has quickly become the head roaster for Rubicon Coffee and is very adept at communicating with customers and potential customers.
Jacob is Jay’s son-in-law and father of his granddaughter. He has a wide range of interests in addition to coffee roasting ranging from snowboarding to disc golf. He LOVES the outdoors and is definitely is a welcome addition to Rubicon.