Matthew McClutchy, owner of Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co.
Address: 224 W. Bruce St. and 2920 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee
Website: www.anodynecoffee.com
Industry: Coffee retail and wholesale
Employees: 30
Family: Married 13 years to Lacee Perry; Three kids (ages 11, 9 and 7)
Where does the name Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. come from?
“Two things: An anodyne is something that soothes pain, and it’s a title of a favorite record of mine.”
What prompted you to open your own coffee roasting company?
“After college I jumped around doing this and that. A jack-of-all-trades, I guess you could say. Coffee was the really fun and fascinating one, and it stuck. At the time, friends of mine owned a coffee shop and were looking to sell and get out of the business. The opportunity to own my own place for such a low initial investment was one I couldn’t pass up.”
What sets Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. apart from other coffee roasters in the region?
“We only focus on what we do – source and roast the best coffee we can find and serve it with great customer service. I try to keep the big picture very simple.”
Do you plan to hire any additional staff or make any significant capital investments in your company in the next year?
“There is no master plan. We’re always tossing around ideas, but I don’t consider myself a big risk taker. So whatever we do takes careful consideration.”
What will be your company’s main challenges in the next year?
“The market price of coffee. Most things I feel like we can control. We cannot control the commodity price of coffee, which can directly affect the price of our coffees, even though we are not in the commodity coffee business.”
Do you have a business mantra?
“If we had a motto, it would be ‘helping people.’”
From a business standpoint, who do you look up to?
“So many. I’m always impressed with people who are really good at what they do.”
What was the best advice you ever received?
“For me, it’s the golden rule. (Thanks, Mom!) Maybe it’s an easy rule to follow for people who’ve been afforded opportunity. I’ve been very lucky.”
What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you in your career?
“You’ll just have to believe me that our staff tailgate parties at Miller Park and our holiday parties have had their moments.”
What do you like to do in your free time?
“I have a love/hate relationship with running.”
How do you prefer your coffee?
“I’m easy. To start the day – I prefer our beans less than seven days out of the roaster, ground immediately before brewing on a Fetco brand drip brewer followed by a cortado made with 21 grams of our Snake Oil or Mind Tonic espresso pulled through a Synesso Hydra brand espresso machine at 201 degrees for 32 seconds, including a six-to-seven-second pre-wet delay, topped with locally-sourced milk steamed to 158 degrees served in a four-ounce rocks glass. Is that bad?”
