Roasted by hand, in small batches, by a real person paying attention — not run through a factory line. That’ll make you smile!

★ 5.0 from 24 Google Reviews

Who’s Behind Makin’ Smiles Coffee?

I’m Johnathan, the owner and roaster behind Makin’ Smiles Coffee. My wife, Alyssa, handles our marketing and social media, and is a partner in the business and every decision behind it. Together, we’re Makin’ Smiles Coffee — a small-batch specialty coffee roaster in Palmyra, Virginia, focused on sourcing, roasting, and selling the freshest coffee we can find from a variety of countries and regions. As part of the third wave coffee movement, we treat coffee less like a commodity and more like wine or craft beer — worth sourcing carefully, roasting with intention, and tasting for what actually makes each origin different.

We look for farmers who put real care into growing coffee, because that care is what actually shows up in the cup. We’re working toward sourcing more of our coffee as Organic and Fair Trade over time, and several origins already carry that certification. A few, like our Brazil, aren’t currently available Organic Fair Trade — and since that one’s a customer favorite, we keep sourcing it as-is rather than dropping a coffee people love over a certification that isn’t offered on it yet.

Green coffee storage matters just as much as roasting, since it decides how long that coffee holds onto its quality before it ever reaches the roaster. We only buy beans stored in GrainPro bags, which studies show can extend green coffee’s freshness by another six months. It costs more, but it’s part of how we make sure the coffee is genuinely fresh, not just labeled that way.

Coffee is at its best within about 30 to 60 days of its roast date, and most people have never actually tasted coffee that fresh. Most companies don’t print a roast date on the bag at all — they’d rather you not realize how long it sat in a warehouse and on a shelf before you bought it. Buying from a local roaster is usually the only way to get coffee that’s actually fresh. That’s exactly why we roast to order in Palmyra, instead of pulling your bag from a shelf.

I started out roasting just a handful of coffee beans at a time for the Wounded Warriors I served with, and the people supporting their healing. I used it as an icebreaker — a way to build community and relationships with the people around me — and I’d brew a fresh cup for anyone who asked. I loved watching their face light up on that first sip. It always made them smile. That’s where the name comes from, and my slogan: Does your coffee make you Smile? Now we roast for our community and beyond. If you’d like your coffee to make you smile too, browse our coffee selection or email orders@makinsmilescoffee.com.

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