Palouse Coffee Club
Coffee in Olympia
Olympia coffee roasting goes back at least to 1986, when Batdorf & Bronson started here. Olympia Coffee followed in 2005 from an unmarked downtown warehouse, and the Roast Local directory now lists 7 roasters under the city, with more in Lacey and Tumwater. Below are the roasters in and around Washington's capital, the sourced local history, and how our club brings a different Washington State roaster's bag to your door.
Olympia's coffee story
Dick Batdorf and Shannon Bronson founded Batdorf & Bronson in Olympia in 1986. In 2022 the company took the name Dancing Goats Coffee.
Olympia Coffee began in 2005 as a wholesale roaster in an unmarked warehouse downtown, working on a 12 kilo Diedrich. Eight years later, in 2013, Roast Magazine named it Micro Roaster of the Year, and it has since won Good Food Awards.
Coffee also turns up in the city's civic history. The free flowing artesian well on 4th Avenue downtown is a local landmark, and the effort to protect it began in 1991 with support from a local coffee roaster.
A town this size keeps its roasters open by buying from them. Every bag bought from an Olympia roaster pays wages on 4th Avenue and in the cafes on the Westside and in South Olympia, and the money stays in Thurston County. Read why local roasters matter.
Roasters in and near Olympia
We list these roasters as local favorites. A listing does not mean the roaster is part of the club.
- Olympia Coffee Roasting, downtown Olympia: moved its roastery to 4th Avenue in 2015, tripling its space and adding a 23 kilo Gothot roaster, and runs three Olympia cafes.
- Dancing Goats Coffee, Olympia: the company Batdorf & Bronson became in 2022. Kaldi's Coffee of St. Louis bought it in 2023, and in November 2024 it and Dillanos, below, announced a merger, according to Dillanos's announcement.
- Dillanos Coffee Roasters, Sumner: announced a merger with Dancing Goats in November 2024 and revived the Batdorf & Bronson name.
- Olympic Crest Coffee Roasters, Lacey: has sold coffee wholesale since 1996.
- Bluebeard Coffee Roasters, Tacoma: roasts on a classic 12 kilo Probat drum roaster and aims for a balanced, medium house style.
Roast Local also lists Campers Coffee, Ember Goods Coffee, Papaver Roasting House, Samayra Coffee Co and Wobbly Cup Cooperative Roasters under Olympia.
Olympia Coffee's signature coffee is Big Truck, a blend it also sells as an espresso and as instant coffee. It roasts every coffee to order each day at the downtown roastery, and its Fair for All sourcing program comes with published transparency reports.
Getting Washington coffee delivered in Olympia
You can already buy great coffee on 4th Avenue. The club adds the rest of the state: every 2 or 4 weeks a 12 oz bag arrives from a different independent Washington roaster, from Bellingham to Spokane, roasted to order and shipped in the roaster's own bag with our packing slip. $16.99 a bag, any roast. First bag free, you pay shipping. Choose light, medium, dark or a mix, whole bean or ground, and skip, pause or cancel online.
- Roasted and shipped within 3 days.
- Free replacement if a bag disappoints.
- A reminder email 3 days before each box.
- Your ratings steer the next bag.
Olympia coffee questions
What is the oldest coffee roaster in Olympia?
Batdorf & Bronson, founded in Olympia in 1986 by Dick Batdorf and Shannon Bronson, is the earliest founding date in our research. It became Dancing Goats Coffee in 2022.
When did Olympia Coffee start?
In 2005, as a wholesale roaster in an unmarked downtown warehouse with a 12 kilo Diedrich. It moved its roastery to 4th Avenue in 2015.
Does an Olympia roaster sell decaf?
Yes. Olympia Coffee sells Decaf Asterisk, a decaf blend, as its shop showed on 2026-09-27.
Which Olympia roaster holds public cuppings?
Olympia Coffee hosts public cuppings on first Fridays and runs home barista classes.
Nearby
Sources
- The artesian well and the coffee roaster, 1991: Wikipedia, Olympia, Washington
- Roasters listed under Olympia: Roast Local, Washington, pulled 2026-09-27
- Batdorf & Bronson founding and the Dancing Goats name: the company's own story page, read 2026-09-27
- Olympic Crest's wholesale start: the company's own site, read 2026-09-27
- Olympia Coffee, Dillanos and Bluebeard facts: their profiles on this site, from public sources checked 2026-09-27
Updated September 2026.