A Serendipitous Beginning | Written by Elke Finley
While talking to Becky Knutson who owns and operates Becca’s Beans with her husband Scott, I was delighted to hear how serendipity played a big part in the beginning of their business.
It was in 1997 while their daughter attended a Power of Hope camp that Becky’s connection to Cortes Island began and she described how the island just kind of embraced her and never let go. It was then that the idea of living on Cortes someday was born. This led to further visits when the family got into sea kayaking.
At the summer solstice in 2005 the dream of immigrating to Canada and moving to Cortes Island was realized. Becky worked full-time as a nurse in Campbell River for the first two years and part-time for another ten years. The intention was to do this for a little while till they found something that would support them as well as the local economy.
In 2008 Becky and Scott decided to look into the possibility of roasting coffee not really knowing much about it. They contacted friends in Washington who had a small home coffee roasting business and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. They ended up being gifted their first small roaster and found themselves in business in a very short period of time. “The Universe really put us into this!” Becky said. The circumstances lined up perfectly.
Within a year they replaced the small roaster with a bigger one that could roast fifteen pounds of coffee instead of two, which made a huge difference. They took courses, visited conferences and talked to lot’s of people who had more experience. This year they have roasted and sold over 5000 pounds of coffee.
Becca’s Beans has been available at the Coop since 2008. We are happy to be able to offer an organic and fairly traded locally roasted coffee which we brew every day in the store and in the cafe when it’s open. You also can buy Becca’s Beans in one pound bags or find it in our bulk section.
