BAKER CITY — Though morning alarms can vary, for two out of three Americans, getting a cup of coffee is when the day actually begins.

For some Baker City residents rising before dawn, the sunny logo over the Sorbenots coffee shop on Campbell Street has been almost as warm and welcoming as the real thing since the Stone family launched the business in 1995.

The name reflects the founders, brothers Jason and Phil Stone and Phil’s wife, Andrea.

Sorbenots is “Stone Bros” spelled backward.

In nearly three decades, Sorbenots has expanded from its original Baker City location to include shops in Ontario, La Grande, Pendleton and Hermiston.

But now the Stones plan to continue the growth by creating a legal franchise for their business, which will allow them to license the image and products to other business owners outside Oregon.

“We’ve put in a lot of years putting together the (franchising) document,” Phil said.

The Stones plan to maintain their five existing stores.

They hope to see franchises open in the Meridian and Boise area, and eventually in Washington, California and other states.

This is their third foray into interstate expansion, but the first time they’ve used the franchise approach.

They opened their own shops in Arizona and Colorado in the past, but had to close both.

Although the effort to franchise Sorbenots brings the Stones into a competitive industry, Phil said the bigger players in the market, such as Starbucks, typically occupy a different business niche.

“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,” he said. “There’s like a six-month shakedown, and then all of a sudden there’s just that many more coffee drinkers.”

Information about franchising can be found at www.sorbenots.com/franchise or by sending an email to franchise@sorbenots.com.

Humble beginnings

The Stones’ first venture in the coffee business was Cappuccino Cowboy.

“It was just a travel trailer we converted,” Jason said. “Phil and I were open every day from 5 in the morning till I think 6 at night. That stint felt longer than the rest of our business time.”

The trailer was parked on the site of what is today the former car wash next to the recently reopened Albertsons convenience store and gas station.

The current Sorbenots coffee shop is also on the north side of Campbell Street, but at the west end of the block, near Oak Street.

Company headquarters, though, is in west Baker City, tucked behind the Railroad Square train exhibit just north of the former Sumpter Valley Railroad station.

This is also where the Stones roast coffee beans for distribution to all their locations and bake pastries that are also sold at their shops. On a calm day the toasty scent from the roasting beans is detectable from some distance.

Andrea Stone can often be found hard at work in the bakery on the first floor.

Global connections

Although Sorbenots is a local concern, the owners also cultivate distant relationships related to the international coffee trade.

Jason visited communal coffee farms in Guatemala last year along with a contingent of Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative employees who installed power lines to remote villages.

The Stones are also in regular contact with coffee bean growers in Colombia, Sumatra, Brazil and Tanzania.

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

Travel gives them a chance to understand the growing conditions of their coffee. The farms for many are generational operations, and the Stones say many are still recovering from the pandemic.

The experience gives them a special appreciation for the value of the product.

“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,” Jason said. “It takes a lot to get coffee to a finished product.”

Forging ahead

The Stones said they rely on multiple longtime employees among their 70 or so workers who handle shipments, roasting, distribution and retail.

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.

“We’ve added some really key employees over the years, a lot of our management have been here 15 plus years,” Jason said.

In addition to the franchising plan, the Stones are working to patent an instant-coffee reduction method that can convert 100-pound bags of beans into a preserved concentrate without loss of flavor or quality, and without gritty residuals.

“Everybody we’ve given samples to are just blown away,” Jason said. “A bag that weighs 20 ounces makes 20 gallons.”

Typically, 8 ounces of ground coffee makes 1 gallon, so the Stones’ new process could reduce the costs.

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