Our Story: Passport Coffee & Tea Since 1983
Our Story: Passport Coffee & Tea Since 1983
In 1979, Ric Brecheisen loaded his family into a VW bus and drove through Europe. It wasn't just a vacation — it was a revelation. The coffee culture he discovered abroad — the neighborhood cafes, the rich espresso, the unhurried ritual of a well-brewed cup — was unlike anything he'd experienced at home.
Four years later, in 1983, Ric founded Passport Coffee & Tea.
The name was intentional. "Passport" is a tribute to that original journey — a coffee and tea pilgrimage across Europe that changed everything. It's a reminder that great coffee connects people to places: the farm in Ethiopia where the beans were grown, the port in Colombia where they were loaded, the roaster in Kansas City where they became what they are.
Air Roasting From the Beginning
From day one, Passport has used air roasting — the process of roasting coffee beans on a cushion of hot air, the way a popcorn popper works, rather than in a metal drum. The beans never touch hot metal surfaces. They roast evenly, without the smoky, bitter edge that drum roasting can produce. The natural flavors of each origin stay intact.
We've been doing it this way since 1983. It's not a trend for us — it's just how we roast.
Learn more about air roasting →
Fresh to Order
Every bag of Passport coffee is roasted when you order it and shipped within days of roasting. We don't roast in advance and store inventory. Coffee is perishable, and we treat it that way — because the difference between fresh coffee and coffee that's been sitting in a warehouse for weeks is not subtle.
This is a family-run business. It's always been a family-run business. And the commitment to doing things right — roasting fresh, sourcing carefully, shipping promptly — is something that has carried through every generation that has run it.
What We Believe
We believe coffee and tea are worth caring about. That fresh roasting matters. That where your beans come from matters. That the people who grow them matter. And that a well-made cup of coffee — one made with fresh-roasted beans, clean water, and a little attention — is one of life's most reliable pleasures.
We've been helping people discover that since 1983.