Joel and Katrina Anderson hope their new Mt. Vernon 'brew lab' is up to scratch

Katrina and Joel Anderson pose for a photo in Mount Vernon. — Amir Prellberg/Little Village

If you’re familiar with Wake Up Iowa coffee, then you’ll recognize the names and faces behind Iowa’s newest coffee roaster, Little Scratch Coffee. Joel and Katrina Anderson’s path has taken them around the Midwest from Iowa to Madison, Wisconsin, to Chicago and back to Iowa and through careers spanning education, engineering and coffee roasting. After seven years of honing their skills at Wake Up Iowa, the couple are taking their knowledge and passion for the art of coffee and opening a roastery and brew lab in their adopted hometown of Mt. Vernon, Iowa. I recently spoke with Katrina to get the scoop (the grind? The shot?) on their new endeavor.

First things first, why “Little Scratch?” What’s the origin of that name?

Oh, I like this question. It comes from an unreleased Captain Beefheart song about not having a lot of material wealth but being rich in other ways. We also like to play with uses of the word scratch; we have a saying that “Little Scratch stops and smells the roses.” It’s a play on the idea of the thorns on a rose stem, but also a reference to our philosophy of slowing down to really enjoy the flavors and ritual of coffee.

How did you decide on Mt. Vernon as your location?

First of all, we’ve lived here since coming back to Iowa from Chicago in 2015, and our location is going to be just up the street from our home. But more than that, we really feel that Mt. Vernon is truly the right place for this. For a town with such a small population (about 4,460 residents), Mt. Vernon has a lot of amenities that we usually associate with bigger cities. We have a great arts scene, a yoga studio, a new vegan restaurant is opening — and they’re all local businesses. This is a really vibrant community that really supports small businesses, and we felt this was the best place for our operation, both for us and because it would bring something new to the community.

Little Scratch coffee beans. — Amir Prellberg/Little Village

How did you get into the coffee industry?

We both had other careers before this; I was a middle school English teacher, and Joel was a sound engineer. We became fans of Wake Up Iowa coffee while we were living in Chicago. When we decided to start a family, we knew we wanted to move back to Iowa, and we started looking around for opportunities. Around this time, Jarrett [Mitchell, Wake Up Iowa founder] was looking for someone to take over some of the distribution, particularly outside Iowa. It was a good fit for us, and when we moved back to Iowa, we started roasting as well. Roasting and doing coffee education outreach allowed us to continue utilizing the skills we used in our previous careers.

It’s clear from the time you’ve spent in this field that you have a real passion for coffee. Where does that come from? What excites you about coffee itself and about the industry around it?

Coffee has so much complexity. There are so many flavors, and there’s really no end to what you can learn about it; it’s like wine in that way. Every person can find something different in the same sip. I really like to focus on the idea of coffee as a ritual where you slow down and take note of the flavors and your impressions.

On the business side of things, I love the opportunities there are for connection. You build relationships with your customers but also with other members of the local food community. There’s so much opportunity for collaboration.

Little Scratch coffee beans in Mount Vernon. — Amir Prellberg/Little Village

Say a little more about that. What are some other local businesses you’re looking forward to working with?

For one thing, our walk-up window and patio will be next door to Iron Leaf Press, the local stationery store, and will be sort of a shared space. But we’re also collaborating with several local businesses for our offerings inside the shop. Aaron Hall of Local Crumb is expanding out from the breads he’s become famous for and developing some pastries for us. White Tree Bakery here in Mt. Vernon is going to provide the shortbread for our espresso service. And Rhubarb Botanicals, a farm north of here, is developing bitters for use in recipes and for retail and is creating some custom tea blends for us.

Everyone is familiar with coffee shops, but you’re calling Little Scratch a “brew lab.” How will the experience differ from a traditional coffee shop?

Our approach is more similar to the street cafés you see in Europe. There won’t be an extensive drink menu; you can come in and get an espresso or a cup of coffee, but the focus is more on providing beans for use at home. We’ll have a bulk option where people can bring in their own containers to fill up, and we’ll offer pre-packaged beans in compostable bags.

We also want to focus on coffee education. We plan to have cupping events, which are similar to wine tastings or beer flights. You try several different coffees and have the opportunity to talk about what you taste in each one.

Last but not least, when can people come visit the new location?

We’re hoping to have our grand opening in late summer or early fall 2023! In the meantime, you can find our coffee being served at a number of local restaurants and retailers.