First Sip Coffee Roasters
For Kye Butler and his wife, co-founders of First Sip Coffee Roasters, in Tennessee, coffee is more than a beverage—it’s a journey. What started as a curious hobby in their garage during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic blossomed into a thriving business, fueled by their shared quest for quality and community. “I never thought this would grow the way it did,” Kye reflected. Their journey began with Kye’s fascination with coffee’s complexities and his wife’s knack for social media and marketing. Together, they built First Sip Coffee Roasters, turning their passion into a scalable and sustainable business.
In 2024, the couple took a major step forward by investing in Bellwether Coffee’s Shop Roaster. The innovative technology not only made roasting easier but also empowered them to elevate their craft and expand their operations. This is how this coffee-loving couple found their stride with Bellwether Coffee’s cutting-edge roasting solution.
“I Want to Share Great Coffee with People” - A Commitment to Quality
“When people walked by my garage, they’d ask, ‘What are you doing?’ and that started the conversation,” Kye said, recalling the early days of roasting coffee in his neighborhood. What drew people in wasn’t just the aroma—it was the freshness and care evident in every batch.
Early on, Kye learned the importance of consistency. Using a small, manual roaster, he often struggled with temperature fluctuations that affected the quality of his coffee. “I felt like I was pretty consistent, but any fluctuation in temperature—oh, you could definitely tell,” he explained. The Bellwether Roaster transformed his process, offering precision and control that ensured every roast met his exacting standards. “It gives me a baseline, but I still tweak it to make it my own,” he said, emphasizing how the machine allows him to maintain his personal touch.
“I started this because I wanted to share great coffee with other people, so they know what it’s actually like. I want them to realize that there is a difference between specialty coffee and just your ordinary coffee,” Kye shared. His commitment to quality extends beyond his roasts. “I do little pop-ups in my garage, for my neighborhood, so people can actually try what good coffee tastes like,” he said. Sharing exceptional coffee has become a cornerstone of First Sip’s mission.
“It Really Allowed Me To Scale My Business.” - The Economics of Growth
For Kye, balancing a day job with roasting after hours took its toll, and scaling First Sip Coffee Roasters became a necessity. “I was roasting coffee every single night for two to three hours after my day job,” he said. “It was exhausting. We had to decide: Where do we want to take this?” Bellwether’s Shop Roaster provided a game-changing solution, enabling him to scale First Sip while reclaiming precious time. The machine allowed Kye to streamline his operations, reducing time spent roasting while maintaining the high standards his customers expected. “I had a deal with a local restaurant, but I couldn’t keep up with demand with the old roaster,” he admitted. “Now that I have this machine, I can certainly do that, [...] I love it, it really allowed me to scale my business. I just did an order of 37 bags of coffee for client gifts in just three hours! It really changed the game for me.” Now, wholesale orders are manageable, and Kye has reclaimed valuable time with his family.
The financial benefits were equally compelling. “The low overhead of working from my garage and the efficiency of the machine make it a no-brainer,” Kye said. The Bellwether roaster wasn’t just about maintaining quality; it became a catalyst for exponential growth. “I've just scaled, scaled, scaled, and at this point I’m at a position where I can really take this off in whatever direction I want it to go,” he shared. Kye also sees Bellwether as an unbeatable investment for anyone looking to start or scale a coffee roasting business. “I would 100% recommend that for people who want to do this full time. Bellwether—this is the best investment that they can make,” he said. “When you’re looking at other coffee roasters—the gas-powered, huge coffee roasters are super, super expensive. It’s a lot to install them; you gotta have other people involved. Whereas this? You guys helped me set it up; and you can really quickly scale up a business with Bellwether. The learning curve is significantly smaller. If you’re trying to jump into coffee roasting, it’s really a no-brainer, to be honest.”
Now, Kye is prepared to take First Sip Coffee Roasters even further. “I’m at a good spot right now to where I’m ready to take more on,” he said. Bellwether has given him the tools not just to sustain his business, but to grow it sustainably, allowing him to embrace every opportunity that comes his way.
“I Was Roasting On The First Day” - Accessibility Through Technology
Traditional roasting equipment often required complex setups and significant space—barriers that didn’t fit Kye’s vision of operating from his two-car garage. “I’ve had to have my garage doors wide open. It smelled and it was so smoky,” he said. Kye’s journey took a transformative turn when he discovered Bellwether’s electric roaster. It allowed him to focus on what he loves without the stress of complicated machinery. Initially, however, Kye was hesitant. “I was very resistant to it at the beginning, because coffee is obviously an art, and I felt like what separated me was the fact that I was doing this whole process manually,” he admitted. The idea of automating something he viewed as deeply personal was daunting, but ultimately he made the decision to embrace the new technology. “This is what I got to do to be able to grow my business, get more time back, and also create consistency within my roast.” With Bellwether, Kye realized that the art of coffee remains intact, and that it happens in the roast profiles and software. Now he’s able to perfect each profile to his liking and offer one-of-a-kind coffee to his customers. “The idea that I had initially was that it’s not an art,” he explained. “It still can be an art. Because you can tweak the flavor profiles, I can put my own spin on it.”
The accessibility of Bellwether’s technology also transformed who could roast. “Now, I don’t have to be the sole coffee roaster. My wife could do it too if she wants to, because I have everything programmed in there. She can press a button, start it, and it rolls through the roast,” Kye said. “I was roasting on the first day that I got the machine.” This ease of use didn’t just simplify the process—it made coffee roasting more inclusive. “I do love the idea that anyone can do it, but you can still ‘be your own’ if you want to,” Kye added, when talking about the flavor profile personalizations.
For Kye, the accessibility of the machine wasn’t its only appeal. Consistency was even more critical. “Consistency wise? I honestly think it's unmatched. There's no flaws that I can see in it, whereas before anytime it was colder or hotter in my garage, I could definitely tell that there was a difference.” he shared. Bellwether’s precision allowed Kye to replicate the high-quality roasts he prided himself on with far greater accuracy than his previous setup. “Every batch I’ve tasted from different roasts has all tasted the exact same,” he emphasized. This newfound reliability also gave Kye the confidence to make promises to his customers he couldn’t before. “You order the coffee today and I can guarantee it’s gonna be the same in two weeks when you come back to order again,” he explained. “Whereas before, I really couldn’t guarantee that. I knew there was a little fluctuation in the consistency, for sure.” Bellwether’s technology didn’t just simplify operations; it elevated them. Kye no longer had to worry about temperature changes in his garage or subtle variations between roasts. Instead, he could focus on growing First Sip Coffee Roasters, knowing every batch would meet his—and his customers’—high expectations.
“A Smokeless, Ventless Machine Makes a Lot of Sense!” - Smokeless Innovation, Sustainable Impact
While Kye hasn’t fully integrated sustainability into his branding yet, he’s deeply aware of its importance. “I haven’t really promoted that too much, but it does matter,” he said. For Kye, Bellwether’s electric, ventless roaster offered more than just convenience—it aligned with his values and solved a long-standing problem. “When I heard about being able to use a smokeless, ventless machine, I thought, ‘This makes a lot of sense!’” he shared. The change wasn’t just about environmental impact; it also brought a new level of comfort to his workspace. “I also got tired of being smoked out of my garage, you know? It was very, very strong,” he said. “My wife would open the door, and it would just flood into the house. Or she’d say, ‘I can’t come out there. This smells smoky.’”
With Bellwether’s technology, the issue vanished. “But now it’s not like that, so it definitely makes a difference,” Kye said. He sees sustainability as an essential part of the future of coffee roasting and plans to promote this aspect of First Sip Coffee Roasters as his business grows.
Bellwether’s roaster not only reduced Kye’s carbon footprint but also created a cleaner, healthier space for his family and his craft. As First Sip evolves, Kye aims to weave this story into his brand, showing that great coffee can also be a force for environmental responsibility.
A Journey Fueled by Innovation and Community
From experimenting in their garage to running a growing coffee business, Kye and his wife’s journey is a testament to the power of passion and innovation. With Bellwether’s roaster as a cornerstone, Kye has built First Sip Coffee Roasters into a brand that delivers exceptional coffee while prioritizing quality and community.
Bellwether’s impact goes beyond convenience. “I really do love the product, and I’m so glad I jumped in,” Kye said. “It’s a game changer for me—getting time back with my family, but still being able to do something I’m passionate about and care about. Again, it was a no-brainer.” Kye’s story is a testament to the possibilities that arise when passion meets the right tools. With Bellwether, Kye and his wife are doing just that—one fresh sip at a time.
