(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Michael Jones has been a homicide detective in Evanston for 14 years.
With retirement just a few years away, he wanted to pursue his passion of craft coffee.
“I'm kind of a coffee snob,” he said. “I know what I'm looking for when it comes to great quality coffee.”
Two years ago, he launched Badge Brew Coffee Roasters out of his own home in the western suburbs.
“I purchased a small little in-kitchen, $200 electric roaster and started sampling recipes and getting different beans from different farms to create my profiles,” Jones said. “Last year, I was able to raise some money and purchase a big industrial roaster, which I started off in my garage.”
Fast forward to 2021. Jones has mastered the art of roasting with four signature blends aptly named “The Academy,” “Full Pursuit,” “The Recruit” and “Retire.”
He also scaled up operations thanks to the Coffee Lab at North Central College in Naperville.
“The coffee roasted in my garage is two pounds at a time. And now, thanks to the operation at the Coffee Lab here at North Central, I can roast 25 pounds at a time,” he said. “So, it cuts the amount of time that I have to dedicate towards roasting, and I can now dedicate towards marketing, packaging and shipping beans.”
But Badge Brew is more than just coffee: It’s coffee with a cause.
“We want to donate our profits to organizations that help bridge the gap between community and police departments,” Jones told WBBM Newsradio. “I am also committed to donating some of the profits for families of officers killed and injured in the line of duty because those families are suffering.”
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