Rot's Bounty Gourmet Fungi
Rot’s Bounty is a small, family-owned mushroom farm in Iowa City that seeks to provide delicious, fresh, and beautiful fungi to local grocers and restaurants.
Iowa City, Iowa
Type: Producer
Produces: Coffee
Location: West Des Moines, Iowa
Miles from Coop: 121
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Christopher James lost his job, but found his calling. From his West Des Moines home, he began roasting coffee in small batches using a clean hot air roaster.
With no gas or emissions involved, he started by roasting just one pound per hour. Determined to keep things eco-friendly, he also made a choice that would become part of Coffalo Coffee’s identity: delivering orders by bike.
As Christopher puts it, “One less car on the road is a good thing.”
Today, Coffalo roasts 60 pounds of beans per hour. James still handles every delivery himself, and Des Moines residents can often see him cycling around town with his loyal co-pilot, Bugsy the pug, perched on the back of his bike. Wearing her signature doggy helmet and doggy goggles, Bugsy is a hit with customers wherever they go.
Before Bugsy, there was Sushi the original delivery dog. Blind and deaf, Sushi inspired the idea when James was looking for a way to get her out of the house.
“I give her credit for lifting the company to a certain point and then passing it off to me,” he says.
Coffalo doesn’t just serve great coffee, it’s also committed to doing good. Each month, James donates a pound of their “Roam Free Roast” to the Buffalo Field Campaign, a nonprofit that protects and herds wild buffalo in the Yellowstone region.
Coffalo has come a long way from a one-pound-per-hour roaster, but it’s still a one-man operation. Christopher James continues to roast, package, and deliver every bag himself, with Bugsy by his side. Coffalo has recently expanded into the Iowa City area, and you can now get their roasts at all three New Pioneer locations.
Checkout these great products from Coffalo Coffee
Be sure to check out these others great local producers!
Rot’s Bounty is a small, family-owned mushroom farm in Iowa City that seeks to provide delicious, fresh, and beautiful fungi to local grocers and restaurants.
Iowa City, Iowa
Seed Savers formed a network of gardeners interested in preserving heirloom varieties and sharing seeds.
Decorah, IA
Tomie, owner and creator of Iowa Miso makes delicious miso with Iowa grown soy beans.
Cedar Falls, IA
When owners Naftaly and Ofer were unable to find the Mediterranean food they craved and grew up with, they decided to use their own family recipes to bring authentic falafel and hummus to Iowa City.
Iowa City, IA
For James Nisly, growing organic vegetables is about fulfilling a vision of producing healthy food for a healthy community and building well balanced soil for sustainable food production.
Kalona, IA
Calvin Yoder of Echo Dell Farm has been raising whole, local, organic chickens for New Pi since 1988.
Kalona, IA
Big Timber Maple has been producing certified organic maple syrup since 2000. What began as a hobby quickly grew into a thriving family business, driven by a passion for quality and tradition.
Epworth, Iowa
Thousand Hills sources beef from small Midwestern independent family farms that must meet the most stringent requirements around.
Cannon Falls, MN