Dancing Ox Coffee Roasters is a coffee company that had an unusual start.
Professional dancers Lauren Schelfhaudt and Jean-Paul retired from professional ballroom dancing in 2016.
After visiting a coffee farm in Costa Rica, they were inspired to build their own coffee company, which features dance-inspired blends of coffee.
Their company is headquartered in Belmont, North Carolina.
How They Danced Upon Coffee
Schelfhaudt and Paul were professional dancers for 20 years, and they were searching for inspiration.
As competitive dancers, they were always learning and striving to be the best; teaching simply wasn’t offering the opportunity to grow.
As avid lovers of art, travel, and coffee, the decision to roast their dance-inspired blends was truly their calling in life.
They found coffee to be dynamic and full of complexity.
They had to learn about coffee beans, where they came from, and how to bring out the perfect flavor in each one.
They put their desire to learn and perfect the art of blending the perfect roast into action in developing Dancing Ox Coffee Roasters.
Their experience in dance has given them the discipline to become successful entrepreneurs, and the dance-inspired blends are truly unique.
Promenade Dancing Blend
This blend features coffee beans that are half from Mexico and a half from Ethiopia and provides a mixture of rich chocolate and lemon zest, much like the Foxtrot.
This blend brings out flavors on both ends of the spectrum, which is sure to delight your senses.
The Foxtrot is a beautiful dance characterized by this same combination of slow and quick steps, perfectly defining the Promenade blend.
The dance features sweeping steps as the dancers glide around the room, which is reminiscent of a promenade.
The dance-inspired theme helps coffee drinkers learn how each blend will make them feel.
When they drink the Promenade blend, they will enjoy the chocolate, chocolate, lemon, and lemon feeling that delights the senses.
Puravida Single Origin
This delicious coffee comes from Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
The experience is brown sugar, peach, lime, and merengue.
It is designed for people who are looking to keep life pure.
Coffees that are higher-grown in Costa Rica are known for having a good body, medium acidity, clean taste, and a crisp finish, and Puravida is no different.
The key to this coffee was to bring out the body and sweetness by roasting it without losing the fruity flavors.
After much trial and error, Paul has created the perfect roast with a vibrant and fruity flavor that landscapes Costa Rica.
Striving for the Best in Roasts
There is an art to finding the perfect roast for each flavor, and Dancing Ox Coffee Roasters rises to the challenge with each coffee they offer.
Schelfhaudt and Paul are using their competitive nature to become the best roasters, and their background in dance gives this business a unique twist.
People are often inspired to try their coffee because of the dance connection.
They meet Schelfhaudt and Paul and decide to try the coffee.
The coffee tastes good, which keeps customers coming back for more.
These two former dancers take coffee roasting seriously, and they enjoy learning and discovering the nuances of roasting each type of bean.
Mixing Dance and Coffee
The most notable feature of this company is the combination of dance and coffee.
They host events where customers can take salsa lessons and taste coffee.
They showcase coffee blends with dance-inspired names, such as the Promenade.
They are building a national presence and hoping that people view them as a lifestyle brand as much as they do a brand of coffee.
In addition to perfecting their coffee products, they are planning a collaboration with a brewery to make coffee-flavored beer in a limited edition.
They may open a coffee shop one day, but for now, they continue to promote their brand.
Paul wants to enter a coffee roasting competition one day, which is another outlet for his competitive nature.
When you have dedicated former professional dancers running the show, they will always strive to be the best.
This quality comes through in the full flavors of their coffees.
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