Interview with Alex Briede, Roaster at Amped Roasting
We are so overjoyed to welcome Amped Roasting to The Roasters Pack for the very first time! A true smallbatch roaster, Alex Briede, founder of Amped Roasting, roasts all of his coffees out of his apartment in Vancouver, BC. We had the pleasure to chat with Alex and learn more about his inspirations and journey in coffee.
Can you tell us more about yourself and why you decided to start Amped Roasting?
I’m a Nurse Practitioner full-time, and Roaster at Amped Roasting, and I practice at an urgent and primary care centre here in Vancouver. I started roasting coffee nearly two years ago. It’s a passion project in that I love coffee and I want to give back to The War Amps of Canada. They are an organization that has supported thousands of persons (and their families) with amputations (congenital and acquired) for decades.
On a personal level, I was born with a below the left elbow limb anomaly and have been supported by The War Amps throughout my life not only financially for prosthetics and post-secondary education, but also through numerous events that I attended in my youth which offered me a very supportive network.
How did you get into specialty coffee and roasting?
I’m the type of person that gets antsy easily whenever I’m not at work. If I’m not always doing something I kind of go a little stir crazy. I’ve always loved coffee and had been talking about roasting for years, and I finally bit the bullet a couple years ago. I ended up really enjoying roasting and figured it was feasible for me to continue roasting at home amidst the variability of my schedule in health care.
What are your goals for Amped Roasting going forward? What kind of growth do you wish to see?
I wouldn’t mind some growth! Admittedly, I am capable of expanding what I can offer to people. While I can’t compete in terms of production with many other roasters, I can definitely crank out several kilograms of coffee a month! But, ultimately this isn’t a profit-driven project for me. I’m still paying off the green beans, my roaster and I donate a sizable proportion of the proceeds to the War Amps. This is a sheer passion project of mine, which I think is the best way to approach it.
What are your tips for people who want to get into roasting?
Be curious in the process and just try it! Once you do, you’ll get to understand the process. As with anything, look at a bunch of different sources and talk to people in the community. There’s so much to learn not only online or in books, but just in talking to people and being involved. Just be curious!
