It all began with a bad cup of coffee.....In 1981, R.C. Beall was sitting in an all night diner near Glacier Park having a cup of the worst coffee and pondering how to make a living in this incredible part of the world. Could roasting and selling a great cup of coffee be the answer? And so, armed with a small home roaster, Montana Coffee Traders was born. 

By 1989, Montana Coffee Traders was an established roaster.  The next process in R.C.'s coffee journey took him to Monteverde, Costa Rica.  While there he connected with the growers and the local Coope Santa Elena and started one of the very first Fair Trade projects in the United States. 

The project, based on the European formula for Fair Trade,  linked the growers directly with the end user in the U.S.  As of 2010, this project has generated over $250,000. in "dollar back" donations to the community in addition to the Fair Trade price of coffee and total donations and support exceeding $800,000.

1992 - Moscow, Russia   The cold war was over and free enterprise was allowed.  R.C. was invited to Moscow to open a roaster in downtown Moscow at the Tagansky Market, a Robin Hood style market that dated back to the late 1800's.  

After meeting with some young, eager Russian's they set up the very first and only coffee roaster in Russia at the time and began roasting and delivering coffee to the Moscow market.  Wild times! 

In 1994, R.C. started Texas Coffee Traders right here in Austin, Texas.  It was a natural fit for another Coffee Traders to establish a base back in R.C.'s home state.  Austin is eclectic, young, progressive and a cool, college town which loved great coffee!

     It's the freshest coffee... From a restored old warehouse on the eastside of town we roast our beans fresh daily and send out orders each day to restaurants and cafes, and individuals in our communities as well as cities around the world. We begin taking orders early in the morning and we roast what we need for that day. By doing things this way, the customer is always guaranteed fresh roasted coffee. 

      Texas Coffee Traders is located in the live music capital of the world,surrounded by the beautiful Texas hill country. The working environment is unique: Coffee Traders practices a philosophy of worker empowerment where employees are allowed to create a work environment that provides room for individual growth.  We give back to our community through active participation in community events.  In 2010 we have donated over 50,000 cups of coffee to the ,community and 300 man hours.  Some of donations this year have been to the Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure", the Lance Armstrong  "Livestrong Challenge", the Cowboy Breakfast, KLRU Events, Trinity Center Downtown,

Homeless Resource Fair, Blue Santa and so many other.

Come by and visit and enjoy a cup of our fresh, artisanal roasted, deliciously prepared coffee.