LISBON – Tim Gardner’s St. Lawrence Valley Roasters is poised for expansion.

Gardner has turned what began as a hobby into a noteworthy and flourishing coffee business.

In 2008 Gardner took his love for coffee and converted a portion of his garage into a small scale coffee roasting operation.

Since then his specialty coffees have made their mark throughout the North Country, and the business is ready to expand.

A $10,000 loan from the St. Lawrence County Local Development Corporation provided working capital and assisted with the purchase of a larger roaster. The funds will help Gardner to increase production capacity providing roasted coffee to wholesale customers in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Franklin counties.

“The new roaster will enable me to roast larger batches of coffee that will improve quality and reduce waste,” says Gardner. “In addition, spending less time at the roaster will free up more time for me to build customer relations and focus on new opportunities.”

“The St. Lawrence County Local Development Corporation is pleased to continue our support for St. Lawrence Valley Roasters,” said SLCLDC Chief Raymond Fountain. “Tim is constantly pursuing opportunities to improve his knowledge and strengthen his business. He serves as a great example to other entrepreneurs and small business owners, which is why the IDA selected him to be recognized earlier this year for his contributions to the St. Lawrence County economy.”

“The staff at the IDA has been tremendously helpful to me as I have been building my business,” Gardner continues. “They always stay in touch and offer suggestions. St. Lawrence Valley Roasters wouldn’t be where it is today without them.”

In addition to his wholesale accounts Gardner partners with the Reh Center for Entrepreneurship at Clarkson University to provide their Entrepreneur Coffee, and with Big Tupper Brewing of Tupper Lake to roast their unique private label blends.

His products are available for retail sale at a number of locations around the North Country including Nature’s Storehouse in Canton, the Potsdam Food Co-op and Maple Run Emporium in Potsdam, Wanakena General Store, Oswegatchie Coffee in Gouverneur, Valley Greenery in Parishville, Artworks Creperie in Waddington, and The Mustard Seed in Watertown.

He is frequently found at farmers’ markets and at artisan and food shows around the region.

Orders can also be placed online with free shipping through the end of the year.

Gardner can be reached at 250-7650 or stlawrencevalleyroasters@gmail.com, and more information is at www.stlawrencevalleyroasters.com, or on Facebook.