Hammerhead Coffee Roasters

Scott Hartwich and Mary Burwell met working coffee in Portland, where they ran one of that city's first espresso carts, and started Hammerhead in Bellingham in 2007. The way in was a cart at the Bellingham Farmers Market, which grew into wholesale accounts with restaurants, cafes and the co ops.

The roastery has bought fair trade and organic certified green coffee since early 2016, and favors cooperatives of small growers over larger plantations. Velvet Elvis is the dark roast everyone knows and the best seller. Northwest Espresso, Hammerhead Stout, a decaf and an Ethiopia Sidamo fill out the shelf.

The shop on East Holly serves breakfast and lunch all day, built around coffee and biscuits, seven days a week from seven until three. A biscuit sandwich comes with pimento and bacon, the Italian is built on mortadella, salami Toscano and provolone, and Birch Please is a latte made with house birch bark syrup. Mitchell Steed and Meredith O'Malley run it now, and the founders' line still closes the about page. Long live Velvet Elvis.