The Story
Ruby Coffee Roasters was founded by Jared and Deanna Linzmeier in Fall 2013, with the first batches roasted in early 2014 from a garage in rural Portage County, Wisconsin.
Jared, a central Wisconsin native, learned the craft of roasting coffee from some of the nation’s best roasters. A little less than six years ago, he moved his family from the West Coast back to the house he grew up in outside of Stevens Point and started Ruby, a coffee roasting business he named after his grandmother.
After he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the early 2000s, he moved to Los Angeles, where he started working at Intelligentsia Coffee, a Chicago-based company that had just opened its first West Coast location. “I was Intelligentsia’s first full-time dishwasher” at the L.A. cafe, he said.
At work, Jared graduated to busing tables, then doing other support work for the baristas. When Intelligentsia started a roastery, he became an apprentice roaster.
Over the next few years, Linzmeier moved up to manage roasting and oversee quality control, before becoming a regional account manager for the Intelligentsia brand in Portland, Oregon. His next move was to Seattle, where he became the director of coffee for Caffe Ladro, a chain around the city.
In 2015, the business moved into a 4,000+ sq ft warehouse in Nelsonville, WI, where our roasting, shipping, and quality control still operate today.
His roasting operations grew to employ 10 people, earning wholesale customers and online purchases from around the nation, and significant recognition. GQ Magazine featured Ruby in a list of “The Best Bags of Coffee You Can Buy Online.” In February, Food & Wine Magazine named the company the best coffee in Wisconsin.
In May of 2019, Ruby Coffee Roasters opened our first full Cafe and Restaurant in downtown Stevens Point, WI For years before the cafe became a reality, it was a dream.
Sourcing & Relationships
We cultivate direct trade relationships with producers and prioritize sustainability in all our sourcing practices.
Jesse Rabe from Ruby Coffee Roasters says of their direct trade partnerships: “We have a number of sourcing relationships where we directly negotiate prices and quantities with the farmers themselves, and we have other relationships where we connect to farmers through the work of our export and import partners in some coffee-growing countries. The important thing to us is that we know what the farmer is being paid for their coffee as it leaves the farm, and we know how that farmer is being supported: either directly by us or by our sourcing partners who help complete the chain.”
We’re very proud to work with export groups and import groups that can bridge the gaps in the coffee sourcing chain that allows Ruby to have direct connections to coffee producers without needed to travel internationally on a regular basis. We believe that traveling to meet farmers and producers to build relationships is important, but developing relationships with importers and exporters can be just as important, if not moreso.
The relationship that Nena and Hermann built with Ruby was immediately different from the other people that Hermann and Nena were selling coffee to: “First of all it very rewarding to know our coffees are in Ruby’s hands. Having the certainty of a purchase conveys a sense of economical security, peace of mind, decreased financial risk that encourages us to produce better coffees.” As Ruby has been able to grow, we’ve been able to invest more into our farming partnerships every year. With both a greater demand for coffee every year and more working capital for Ruby to pay higher prices, and with Finca Talnamica and Finca Natamaya pushing for quality improvements in their coffees, this year saw a massive order of coffees from Hermann and Nena at specialty coffee premiums for coffees that previously would have been sold at lower prices.
Linzmeier first visited Finca de Dios in 2012, traveling through Central America with some roaster friends. Once he and his wife founded Ruby, he got back in touch, and Ruby has bought coffee from Finca de Dios for six years running.
In addition to Guatemalan beans, they have sourced coffees from growers in Ethiopia, El Salvador and Costa Rica, most of them farms Jared has known personally.
Roasting Philosophy
Every coffee in our lineup is intentionally selected to capture microclimate and micro-region stories—a vivid taste and moment in time. We celebrate vibrant, expressive flavors that reflect the seasonality of our harvests around the world.
Thanks to Jared’s extensive experience in roasting and sourcing coffee for some the industries best, Ruby coffee has quickly gained a reputation for quality. They’re known for showcasing complex and dynamic lots of coffee from small farms that were either sourced directly or through small like-minded import/export companies. They also place a strong emphasis on accessibility, choosing to roast their coffees to optimal flavor and sweetness with ease of brewing in mind.
One of our main goals at Ruby is to make amazing quality coffee approachable and accessible. Our journey towards this goal starts with sourcing high quality green coffees that have great balance and sweetness as the primary flavor characteristics. We then roast those coffees to a degree that allows them to brew easily for most people.
We apply a medium roast profile that draws out the sweetest qualities of each coffee and leads to easy brewing. Creamery is designed to brew a balanced, inviting cup as a drip coffee and is easy to dial in.
We celebrate vibrant, expressive flavors that reflect the seasonality of our harvests around the world. Our coffees rotate seasonally to highlight freshness, origin transparency, and natural flavor expression.
Ruby’s coffee has a unique consistency— almost like a distinct wine in coffee form.
We believe responsible business can uplift everyone - from the producers we support to the loyal coffee lovers enjoying our blends at home or in their shops. Our menu aims to celebrate each producer while making coffees approachable and inviting for everyday enjoyment.
What to Try
Our flagship, versatile blend and best seller. We craft Creamery by utilizing fresh coffee components from some of our strongest sourcing relationships. It’s also a sweet, syrupy espresso blend that’s designed for consistency shot after shot.
Indulge in the Creamery Blend, our flagship coffee that combines the finest beans from El Salvador, Colombia, and Peru, roasted to perfection by the award-winning Ruby Coffee Roasters.
Warm, spiced aromas greet you before you even take your first sip, flowing into rosy notes of fresh figs and bing cherries. A base of dark chocolate tastes as velvety and rich as a mug of hot cocoa.
LIMITED RELEASE: Verdant Seasonal Blend Our latest limited seasonal release captures spring in full expression—vibrant, juicy, and a joy to experience. Inspired by the richness of fresh greenery, this blend evokes the feeling of vitality and spring’s first awakening. Expect layered notes of grape and black plum, lifted by citrusy orange candy and soft bergamot florals. A light yet lively, fruit-forward cup that feels as bright as the season ahead.
Creamery is designed to take advantage of seasonal coffee production by rotating components in order to highlight a fresher, more vibrant flavor profile throughout the year.
Their famous maple latte, featuring local maple syrup, is just the beginning. This short drink features Jay’s Hilltop Maple syrup with Ruby’s espresso and steamed milk.
Some weeks, they roast as much as 4,000 pounds of coffee at the roasting facility in Nelsonville, about 20 minutes east of Stevens Point.
The Burundi and the Kenyan Gachatha are delicious just now. Beyond individual coffees, Ruby offers convenient single-cup options including Instant Creamery, and Steeped Creamery for those seeking accessibility without compromising quality.