Way back in 1978 Pete was on a business trip in San Francisco when he saw his first coffee roaster. That image of fresh roasted coffee never left his head.It was only a year later when the demand for 'The Bean's' fresh roasted coffee exceeded the small in-store roasters. Pete and Barney decided to roast their beans in a central location – at Cowboy Coffee on the North Shore. They travelled down to Nevada and purchased a used 22 kilo Probat coffee roaster (possibly the best excuse ever for a road trip) and when they returned, they set up shop providing fresh-roasted coffee daily to all their stores. The Cowboy Coffee Roasting Company was formed. more... See more text