Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters

Rocky Butte Coffee Roasters We care about people, the place where we live, and making exceptional ethically traded coffee.

In our kitchen at the base of Rocky Butte, an often-overlooked neighborhood of Northeast Portland, we were experimenting to brew our perfect cup of coffee. Not satisfied with options on the grocery store shelf, we began sourcing coffee beans from around the world and roasting with a small batch roaster in our garage. As it turns out, the coffee wasn't just our favorite—our friends and family loved

it too! What started as a hobby blossomed into a business as we began taking orders and delivering to our neighbors. As community “instigators,” we saw the hidden beauty in our neighborhood and desired to connect locally. We befriended our neighbors, hosted block parties, and invited people to join us in volunteering. With our early profit, we were able to give seed money to help launch Rocky Butte Farmers’ Market. Where once there was isolation, a community was quickly forming in Rocky Butte! As orders increased, our daughter Lily began roasting, delivering, and serving coffee at farmers' markets. Nathan Dunbar became a co-owner to provide sound financial guidance. Bryan Atkinson, real estate agent and podcast host and writer of Parkrose Life, became a co-owner to lead sales and marketing. In 2019, we placed at the Cascadia Roaster's Competition above several established Pacific Northwest roasters. We launched Rocky Butte Espresso Bar in 2020, embracing with the hope of making new friends along the way. How much the neighborhood embraces our small espresso bar brings us joy, and we look forward to growing into the space further. We plan to develop a full-fledged community space and open more coffee shops in neglected neighborhoods. We provide ethically-sourced specialty beans to coffee enthusiasts and businesses in Portland and community-minded people around the US. Our home subscribers receive freshly roasted coffee at their front door before they run out. We invite you to become part of our story as we grow from our garage roaster and coffee stand to operating our own roasting facility and new coffee shops, places for our neighbors to connect and enjoy their best cup of coffee.

~ James & Sheryl Helms

One of our customers, Kate, took this photo just outside our door the other day. Double rainbow!
12/03/2025

One of our customers, Kate, took this photo just outside our door the other day. Double rainbow!

“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” - Mother TeresaThis is Brenda. She work...
11/19/2025

“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” - Mother Teresa

This is Brenda. She works for the PIRC, providing support for our Portland neighbors who have appointments at the ICE facility in downtown Portland. Brenda shows up every week, along with many other volunteers, to make sure those neighbors are not left alone during a time of huge upheaval in their lives.

Brenda does great things.

Our small thing: the coffee she's holding in her hands. We can't be there every day to walk with our neighbors who are struggling, but we can make sure they have something warm to drink every day.

What is your small thing you can do with great love?

This year, we are partnering with the Portland Pickles! Their season starts next week, so if you're looking for a fun su...
05/22/2024

This year, we are partnering with the Portland Pickles! Their season starts next week, so if you're looking for a fun summer activity in your neighborhood, you can purchase tickets at Picklestickets.com.

Speaking of pickles... did you know we make our own?

So, James turned on the oven Sunday morning and the outlet started smoking... He determined he should PROBABLY turn the ...
04/10/2024

So, James turned on the oven Sunday morning and the outlet started smoking... He determined he should PROBABLY turn the oven off, and ALMOST closed for the day—how do we stay open without an oven? But then he improvised! Thus the hand-written, off-the-cuff menu.

(P.S. Our oven is fixed!)

Alex Chiu has done it again! And this time at Denizens Cafe. Come check out his amazing work, and our tribute to the Ros...
03/27/2024

Alex Chiu has done it again! And this time at Denizens Cafe. Come check out his amazing work, and our tribute to the Roseway neighborhood!

Espresso and pastries are back! A little over a year after leaving our Rocky Butte Espresso Bar, we are back in the cura...
03/27/2024

Espresso and pastries are back! A little over a year after leaving our Rocky Butte Espresso Bar, we are back in the curated espresso drinks business—now at Denizens Cafe. We've missed it, but you no longer have to! Let us serve you up something delicious and hot!

Check out our blog post about all the exciting changes

Thank you for the picture of Lily delivering your coffee 😆 While the roads and sidewalks were pretty sketch, we know th...
01/19/2024

Thank you for the picture of Lily delivering your coffee 😆 While the roads and sidewalks were pretty sketch, we know that coffee is an important part of peoples day. We always want to do our best and had a lot of fun getting deliveries done.

Our new Catering Menu—meals for meetings, parties, events, or perhaps even your Thanksgiving meal... who knows?Print it ...
10/14/2023

Our new Catering Menu—meals for meetings, parties, events, or perhaps even your Thanksgiving meal... who knows?

Print it out, tape it to your most-important wall, memorize it over time—your taste buds and guests will be glad you did.

We’ve launched a new brunch menu at our Denizens Cafe, same great coffee…and a projected mural by local artist Alex Chiu...
09/07/2023

We’ve launched a new brunch menu at our Denizens Cafe, same great coffee…and a projected mural by local artist Alex Chiu is in the works. There’s a blog linked in our bio…How you doing?

Wondering what to do tomorrow morning? Get your Rocky Butte Coffee fix and a delightful breakfast sandwich at tomorrow ...
07/28/2023

Wondering what to do tomorrow morning? Get your Rocky Butte Coffee fix and a delightful breakfast sandwich at tomorrow ;) We would love to see you!!

Address

8505 NE Fremont Street
Portland, OR
97220

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 2pm
Tuesday 7am - 2pm
Wednesday 7am - 2pm
Thursday 7am - 2pm
Friday 7am - 2am
Saturday 7am - 2pm
Sunday 7am - 2pm

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