Before Bowdon Coffee Roasters can officially open on City Hall Avenue in Bowdon, the shop’s owners are planning to launch their own brand of fresh-ground coffee in local stores and restaurants.

Eddie Holz of Bowdon said he started drinking coffee during college as a way to help him concentrate during bridge games. Today, Holz and his wife, Kathie Holz, have shelves full of old-fashioned coffee grinders, antique coffee signs and other coffee-related memorabilia that they plan to move into their coffee shop when it opens.

“It’s an interest that turned into a hobby that turned into some collections that turned into a business,” Holz said. “It’s kind of a gradual progression.”

The Holzes have been trying to open a coffee shop for the last several years, since local veterinarian Dr. Matt McCord started his development downtown. They are currently renting the 1,800-square-foot space that used to serve as a break room for Lamar Manufacturing, which they hope to transform into a caffeine lover’s paradise by the first weekend in August. Before that time, however, the Holzes hope that their own Bowdon Coffee Roasters brand coffee will already be well-known around town.

“By the first of July we’ll have [one] pound bags as well as samples ready for folks to purchase,” Holz said.

He purchased an authentic Diedrich coffee roaster earlier this year and attended a four-day roasting class in Idaho that taught him the basics of selecting coffee beans and fine-tuning the roasting process to create his own unique roasts. A retired Carrollton Elementary School teacher, Holz plans to spend most of June in his barn practicing with fresh, green coffee beans imported from Columbia and Costa Rica.

Kathie Holz said her husband has developed a refined taste in coffee through the years, a skill she hopes will motivate him to create a unique product.

“He’s pretty much a coffee snob,” she said. “Don’t offer him a cup of instant.”

Holz said it takes about 13 minutes to create six pounds of coffee. After placing beans into the roaster, he listens for them to crack twice, indicating that the water and carbon dioxide have left the beans. After that, the length of time the beans remain in the roaster is dependent on the type of roast he desires to produce. After the beans are roasted, the “cupping” process begins. “Cupping” is the process of tasting and analyzing the different roasts for color, fragrance, aroma and subtleties. The Holzes will begin “cupping” with friends to gather opinions on the various roasts, but they may also do a public event to get the community involved in the selection process.

Holz said he will start with roasting Colombian and Costa Rican beans, but hopes to incorporate a variety of beans from numerous countries once he becomes more comfortable with the process. The Holzes will also be marketing a decaffeinated coffee that uses a Swiss cold water wash process instead of the usual chemicals to remove caffeine from the coffee, a technique Holz said makes the coffee more organic than many decaffeinated brands. Once the roaster has been “seasoned” by regular use and the roasts have been perfected, they will sell coffee in amounts ranging from sample sizes to five-pound bags.

Although he has yet to formalize deals with anyone, Holz hopes to develop signature roasts for different restaurants in Carroll County and sell coffee in those restaurants before the coffee shop opens.

“I would hope some of our local restaurants would like signature blends,” he said.

The Holzes are also looking to sell their coffees in stores and eateries around town before Bowdon Coffee Roasters opens. Holz plans to move the coffee roaster into their establishment and roast coffee as customers watch once the shop opens, a technique Mrs. Holz believes will have one major business bonus: “We think the aroma of the roasting will drive people in,” she said.

Once open, Bowdon Coffee Roasters will offer a variety of teas, bakery items, ice creams, smoothies and, of course, specialty coffee beverages. The Holzes are also planning to offer free wireless Internet access and coffee-themed gift baskets. Eventually, they may offer sandwiches, but Holz said they will not offer such items when they first open. Mrs. Holz, a teacher at Crossroads Academy, said they will also have a drive-through window to attract morning commuters.

“I know a lot of my friends that I teach with say they can’t wait for it to open, especially the drive-through, so they can come by and get a cup of coffee before school,” she said.

In addition to bringing a unique venue to Bowdon, the Holzes also hope to contribute to the city’s economy by doing business there and hiring about five local employees.

“We’re hoping to bring some employment opportunities into the community, as well as bring some new faces into town and provide Bowdon with some services they’ve never had before,” Holz said.

While Eddie Holz spends the summer roasting coffee beans, Kathie Holz said she will probably turn her attention to decorating the shop’s interior.

“We’re ready to decorate,” she said. “We’ve been collecting all of this to move in, and it’s going to be kind of like building a playhouse for me.”

Bowdon has had no venue devoted specifically to coffee since Coffee 101 closed last fall, and Holz said his fresh-roasting technique will make Bowdon Coffee Roasters the first of its kind in the city. He said that many coffee shops purchase pre-roasted beans and simply grind them in-house, adding that the nearest coffee shops that use roasters in their store are located in Newnan and Marietta.

“It’s a niche market that I think our area is ready for,” he said.

The Holzes have a number of preparations that must be made this summer in order to open by Founders Day. They hope that the combination of their downtown location and their uniqueness in the area will keep customers coming in for their caffeine fixes for a long time to come.

“Not having to drive to Carrollton for everything will be nice for the area,” she said. “We just hope they’ll like it.”