BAKER CITY — Though morning alarms can vary, for 2 out of 3 Americans getting a cup of coffee is when the day actually begins. For some rising before dawn, the sunny logo over Sorbenots coffee stand on Campbell street has been almost as warm and welcoming as the real thing since they launched in 1995.

Some might catch the ‘Sorbenots/Stone Bros’ symmetry on sight, and many might even know Jason, Phil & Andrea Stone from their entrepreneurial starts. But in 2024, the Stones say they’re on track to grow Sorbenots into an official franchise.

“We opened where the carwash is, (as Cappuccino Cowboy), it was just a travel trailer we converted. Phil and I were open every day from 5 in the morning till I think 6 at night,” said Jason Stone. “That stint felt longer than the rest of our business time.”

After hiring workers, adding locations and developing their brand, the Stones have since built a solid business foundation in Baker City, and are consistent contributors to public good, especially youth activities such as sports and 4H, money that many businesses tend to lean into advertising.

Their headquarters, tucked behind the Railroad Square train exhibit north of the former rail station along Broadway, was upgraded into a furnished office and bakery in the last several years, and on a calm day you can smell the coffee beans roasting from some distance. Andrea Stone, Phil’s wife, can often be found hard at work in the bakery on the first floor.

This year they’re filing their first ever Franchise Disclosure documentation, or FDD, which will give them the option to license their image and products to others outside of Oregon.

But through franchising they can instead focus on their products and maintain their existing stores in Ontario, La Grande, Pendleton and Hermiston.

For the Stones it’s their 3rd foray into inter-state expansion. They’ve attempted to establish direct-owned shops in both Arizona and Colorado, both shuttered due unfortunate circumstances.

“It’s in the works anyway, we’ve put in a lot of years putting together the document,” said Philip Stone.

Together with their legal counsels, they’re hoping they can see new locations near Meridian and Boise, Idaho, and eventually into Washington, California and beyond in the coming years especially.

Though the move does bring them into a larger competitive industry, Phil says that surprisingly the bigger market players, Starbucks, Dunkin, etc, typically don’t fill the same niche, and spend most of their time dueling with each other.

“Some of our customers will go there, but then they introduce people to our coffee that might not have tried it, and then they come over to us! There’s like a 6 month shake down, and then all of a sudden there’s just that many more coffee drinkers,” said Phil.

Distance working relationships are an important facet of their role, not only between their current locations but as well into the international coffee trade, which recently had Jason Stone visiting communal coffee farms in Guatemala along with OTEC for the ‘Oregon Empowers’ project, bringing electricity into the surrounding villages of Jalapa.

As well, they’re in regular contact with growers from Colombia, Sumatra, Brazil and Tanzania and other exporters.

“We have a close relationship with the people we buy coffee from in Colombia,” said Jason, “we directly buy it, they bring it in on ships in the Seattle area.”

Travel gives them a chance to understand the conditions their coffee is grown in, ensuring the environmental and working quality firsthand. The farms for many are generational operations, and the Stones say many are still recovering from the pandemic.

“Having worked on a farm, it’s kind of hard for me seeing beans spilled, that’s a lot of work, just that handful of beans. It takes a lot to get coffee to a finished product,” Jason said.

Jason says the business aspect of his life, specifically the people he’s come to work with, is a genuine highlight at all levels of their venture. He’s relied on their regional manager Corey Smith for 20 years, and managers Ashley Lyons and Jaclynn West for nearly as long, and enjoys the hiring process throughout.

“We’ve added some really key employees over the years, a lot of our management have been here 15 plus years,” Jason said. Organization wide, they currently have about 70 employees handling the shipments, roasting, distribution and sale of their products currently.

Invested in the future, the Stones are currently patenting an instant-coffee reduction method that can effectively convert hundred pound bags of beans into a preserved concentrate without loss of flavor or quality, and without the gritty residuals from store-bought instant coffee.

“Everybody we’ve given samples to are just blown away,” Jason said, “a bag that weighs 20 ounces makes 20 gallons.” 8 ounces of grounds typically makes for 1 gallon of coffee, meaning they could ship their cold-brew product at a fraction of the cost.

Besides updating their logo and branding, they’re also in the works to purchase an additional structure in lockstep with their expansion, where they can deploy new roasters and freeze-dryers for the growing network.