Hi,
My name is Ricky Sands and I am the face behind Karpos Coffee Co. The main one, at least. Usually, my wife and kids are by my side in the roastery. The concept of Karpos Coffee began long before it became a reality. 15 years ago I bought a bag of Nicaraguan coffee from a local coffee roaster in northern Minnesota while on vacation, brought it back home, brewed it up, and the chase began. For years I tried to replicate what I had in that coffee and never could. Several years later, a series of health complications would result in an entire diet reconfiguration which included losing the cream and sugar in whatever coffee I could find on sale at the big box stores. That same year, on Christmas, my sister-in-law handed me a French Press and a bag of freshly roasted coffee from a local roaster as a Christmas gift. We brewed up the coffee and the light bulb went off. It was the freshly roasted coffee that made that Nicaraguan taste so good. I delve headlong into the world of third-wave coffee, different brewing methods, and the next thing I knew I had a small cafe in my kitchen.
I began toying with the idea of learning to roast my own coffee 10 years ago and got serious about it in 2025. I managed to score a discontinued FreshRoast SR300 and a couple of pounds of green coffee beans off of Facebook Marketplace, brought it home, and began roasting that night. I had no clue what I was doing but I was sure having fun. Several months later my wife bought the upgraded model of the same roaster with more roasting capacity and I was off to the races. I started roasting coffee for our family, our church, small group gatherings, and even provided coffee for the grand opening of a new shop here in Weston, MO. After giving it some thought and prayer my wife and I agreed to open up Karpos Coffee Co. to the rest of the world in April of 2026. I currently roast on a 1 kilo Aillio Bullet R2 drum roaster and operations are set up in our climate controlled basement garage.
What's in a name? Karpos is the koine greek word for "fruitful" in the New Testament. I thought this was a fun play on words. First, we are called to live fruitful lives that glorify God in our character and conduct. Secondly, many people don't realize that the coffee we consume begins as a fruit! Arguably, what the farmer does with the fruit around the coffee seed has the largest impact on the flavors the roaster is able to produce. Because of that I strive to roast only the freshest, highest quality, and ethically sourced coffees we can find!
Thanks for stopping by and considering allowing Karpos to join you for the most vital part of your day!
God bless!