PENDLETON — Esta Henderson said she’s tried to run and grow her home-based coffee business so that it helps everyone involved, starting with the bean growers on other continents, while also turning a profit and supporting causes nearby.
So far, after two and half years of selling coffee and related items online, at local retail locations and markets, Promise Coffee Roasters appears to have a promising future, Henderson said. She’s on the cusp of opening a new roastery east of Pendleton and a new coffee shop downtown.
Speaking of the roastery, she said, “The coolest part is it’s an old farm grain bin that I’m converting.”

The grain bin, dating to the early 1980s, is located at 95 W. County Road 900 South, on family farmland.
The cylindrical metal structure, which hasn’t been used for grain for about six years, is about 24 feet in diameter and 30 feet tall with a cone-shaped roof. With help of others, including family and a contractor, she is building a two-story space onto the outside of the grain bin that ties into the interior of the bin; the combined structure will be fully finished, including HVAC and plumbing.

The space, which required a special use permit from Madison County, will give her room to expand production and distribution operations as well other business functions.
It’s where Henderson will practice her art of preparing beans — using roasters that allow her to control heating, cooling and other variables — as well as package and prepare orders for local delivery and shipping.
She will have two roasters — the one she uses currently that makes about four pounds at a time and her new one that will make two to three pounds at a time (but faster and more efficiently).
“I should be able to roast 15 to 18 pounds per hour,” Henderson said, speaking about the new machine.
The roastery should be finished near the end of May, but the coffee shop, which is planned for leased space at 110 W. High St., will open later. There are still some town approvals to obtain and other work to be done.
Besides serving up her own roasts at the shop, Henderson plans to offer space for a rotation of vendors to sell their wares.
In the end, the goal — as it has been from the start, when she said God called her to begin the venture — is to help as many people and causes as possible.
She gets beans from 10 countries — Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia and Peru. She has done all she can to make sure she’s buying beans that are ethically and sustainably produced.
She’s also giving 10% of profits to two local charitable organizations: More Than Conquerors and Renewable Hope (read Q&A below for more details).
So far, Henderson’s formula — which includes avoiding debt and providing personal service, in addition to a quality product at a reasonable price — is working, she said.
“I have a lot of customers that subscribe. I have tons of repeat business,” she said. “I’m always amazed. It just keeps growing.”
For more details, visit promisecoffees.com.
Business Spotlight Q&A
Business name: Promise Coffee Roasters
Owner: Esta Henderson
Founded: October 2018
Number of employees: Herself and a couple part-time helpers for events/markets.
Address: 95 W. County Road 900S, Pendleton (Promise Coffee Roasters), and 110 W. High St., Pendleton (Promise Coffee & Bazaar, opening TBA)
Phone number: 765-635-8664
Social media: IG & FB: @promisecoffeeroasters
What products and/or services do you offer?
Promise Coffee Roasters offers a variety of coffees in whole bean or ground coffee. These are available in four-ounce, eight-ounce or 16-ounce bags. I also offer 5-pound bags of select roasts. The coffee roast levels vary from light roasts to dark-medium roasts. PCR also offers cold brew concentrate. Also offered are different merch items and drinkware. This includes locally hand-thrown pottery mugs, cold brew growlers, fun stickers, various shirts and hats. It is always a fun, creative, ever-changing area, so the list could go on awhile! I do the same with my coffee beans. I have to stop myself or I’ll just keep adding more.
The services I specialize in are local delivery of all that I sell, monthly subscription coffee (local delivery/shipping), refillable cold brew growlers, local cold brew concentrate delivery (like the milkman for cold brew coffee!), church and business coffee subscriptions, church brewed coffee and more.
Is there anything you consider unique or special about them?
I consider my products to be special and set apart in the care and compassion that I put into them and every aspect of Promise Coffee. I use intentionality in every coffee bean and product I source. I like to build good relationships with people of integrity, and I search for and seek out ethical practices including organic, rainforest alliance, profitable pricing for farmers, sustainable ecosystem practices, community support and wellness programs, etc. This is very important to me. For instance, coffee can be deemed “Fair Trade” based off a system of pricing that means nothing to the farmers in another country, so most often this pricing fails them and leaves them losing money. So my primary importer I work with works directly with farmers and co-ops in order to help them reach premium quality qualifications that places them in pricing tiers far above Fair Trade, making the business profitable for them and sustainable for their communities.
I also consider my mission in starting this business in the first place to be incredibly special. My whole goal with Promise Coffee Roasters is to be able to run a for-profit business that gives back and helps supports non-profit organizations and missions. This dream was set off in my heart with More Than Conquerors and Renewable Hope Inc. Both of these organizations are based in my hometown of Pendleton and are very dear to my heart. They have such an incredible impact locally and worldwide. More Than Conquerors strives to provide safe spaces to empower generations. It offers free faith-based after-school programs, free e-learning centers with tutoring, a local free trivia night for adults, free family fun nights, and much more! Renewable Hope has the heart to meet physical and tangible needs while showing the love of Jesus to those they serve. Their primary mission is to provide safe water in countries and communities that are desperate for this basic necessity. This is why God gave me the desire to do what I do. I want to help them do what they do without them having to worry about the funds for it all. And God led me to coffee roasting! My first two coffee roasts were named after these two groups! Conquer The Day is a medium-dark roast from Nicaragua with notes of roasted pralines and chocolate, and Fresh Hope is a light roast from the same Nicaraguan bean with notes of almond and caramel. I actually was connected to this coffee farm husband-and-wife duo by the director of Renewable Hope.
The way Promise Coffee comes to you is pretty unique, too. From the very beginning I have offered a local delivery system because I wanted to be able to serve my customers. I want to deliver your coffee to your doorstep. Whether you order a four-once bag, multiple sampler trios or multiple pounds of coffee, I will bring it to your doorstep.
What is your best seller?
This question is tough because it varies, and it’s funny to see how randomly one type of roast is selling way better than another. Then the next month it’s shifted over to a new one. I guess people just catch the same coffee wavelength or something. Overall, a consistent crowd favorite for a darker roast is Conquer The Day (Nicaragua/medium-dark). The medium roasts fluctuate more, but I’d say a unique one that has a loyal following is Red Honey Ramirez (Dominican Republic/light-medium). And the top light roast of all time is Fresh Hope (Nicaragua/light).
My non-coffee best seller would be my hand-crafted mugs. This includes logo pottery mugs, (truly one-of-a-kind) concrete mugs, and designer epoxy travel mugs. I also had a huge support base around the Build The Bin T-shirts! They are super comfy, and they help support the building out of the new home of Promise Coffee Roasters!
What do you like most about operating a business?
I enjoy operating a business for many reasons, but I’d say most of all I enjoy having full creative control. I love to create and dream, and it’s always a wonderful thing to bring those creations and dreams to life. I worked with Anderson Creative to create my logo and branding, and that was a super-fun experience. From there, I have designed all my own labels, stickers, T-shirts, website, etc.
What do you find to be the most challenging part of running your business?
Being a small business start-up and being the only person running it, there are many challenges that come in the way of time management and balancing all the things all the time. It gets overwhelming at times to wear so many hats, and I know there are things that fall through the cracks. And I really hate that, but it does happen. I’m not very gifted in the administrative department, so those tasks are the most challenging for me.
Do you have any plans in the near future involving your business, such as expansion or the addition of staff, space, or products and services?
I do. Very exciting growth is happening for Promise Coffee! First of all, I am currently building out an old grain bin on my grandpa’s farm to be the new roastery for Promise Coffee Roasters. This will be the home of the business and where all the roasting and distribution is housed. I am so grateful for the skills and help of Tim Petty of Rise Up Designs for making this crazy dream a reality. Secondly, I will be opening up Promise Coffee & Bazaar in downtown Pendleton in the very near future! There is not a set opening date yet, as it depends on when the roastery is completed. I hope to have it open by the start of summer, though. This space will be very cool and unique to downtown Pendleton. I want to use this space to help elevate and launch other vendors, artisans and creators. I can’t wait for what this space will be! It’s in dream stage currently, and I have some big ideas for it. And of course, there will be delicious, good-cause coffee among other beverages.