About Grumpy Goat Coffee Company

The quest for the perfect cup of coffee began in Minnesota where Brian Abernathy grew up and became accustomed to having access to great coffee. After relocating to Southwest Florida, Brian struggled to find that perfect cup of coffee and took it upon himself to solve that problem. “There wasn’t much of a coffee scene here, especially coming from the Minneapolis area. I really missed that.”

Tired of subpar roasts, Abernathy took it upon himself in 2016 when he purchased a roaster and began to home in on producing the perfect cup of coffee.

Brian’s mission is simple – make freshly roasted, single-origin and gourmet grade coffee both exciting and approachable for everyone. Brian is very selective about which coffee beans to import. He focuses on coffee that is high altitude, 100% Arabica and fully traceable.

“Fully traceable means that I know where the beans are coming from. I know when they are harvested, when they’re sent to the washing station, when they’re set afloat. I know if they have certifications like USDA certified organic fair trade. In terms of single origin, it’s a lot like wine. I know the regions, I know the altitudes, I know the varietals that make up the coffee I bring in.”

Similar to wines, coffee is graded on a 100-point system by professional cuppers. Brian is committed to only selecting coffee beans rated 86 points or higher.

Brian is often asked where he came up with the Grumpy Goat name. As the story goes, coffee was discovered by a goat herder in Ethiopia. He noticed his herd of goats were highly energetic after eating little red berries off of the trees and were up all-night dancing and frolicking. But why grumpy? Well, we all know how a lot of us feel first thing in the morning before we have our coffee. And so Grumpy Goat was born.

As more and more coffee lovers discovered Brian’s roasts, the local media came calling. In November 2017 on National Espresso Day, Brian was invited to have a coffee conversation on National Public Radio local affiliate WGCU. Subsequently, print publications featured stories about Brian and Grumpy Goat including The News-Press, Naples Daily News and Revive magazine.

Brian’s multiple collaborations with chefs, brew masters and food industry partners have resulted in several Grumpy Goat coffee-inspired flavors and recipes. A collaboration with Momentum Brewery resulted in a coffee stout aptly named The Goat which won a silver medal at the 2019 Best Florida Beer competition, outranking more than 15 competitors. In 2018 Brian’s collaboration on a pig rub pulled pork recipe, featuring Grumpy Goat Coffee’s Ethiopian Dark Roast won second place at the EggFest cookoff, sponsored by Sunshine Ace Hardware and the Big Green Egg.