The Crew

Andrew Ballard, Owner/Roastmaster	My name is Andrew and I am the brains and brawn behind Forty Weight Coffee Roasters. My life before Forty Weight was all over the map, literally and figuratively. I spent the first bunch of years after high school traveling the country - vagabond-style - working odd jobs, finding homes in Georgia, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada and Washington. In my early twenties, I landed in Bellingham, Washington, where my coffee life began to mature. I met a local roaster (Guadalupe Coffee Roasters!!!!), and started learning everything I could about coffee. While cutting my teeth on roasting, I earned a four-year Environmental Studies degree from Western Washington University. It was also during this time that I was able to spend three months traveling through much of Asia, including India and Nepal.During this period, I also worked as a firefighter/EMT with Whatcom County Fire District 8. After finishing our degrees, my lovely-lady, Amber, and I moved to Brooktondale, NY to be closer to our families. Almost immediately upon arriving in New York I put my plan to open Forty Weight into action. The rest is history...
Matthew Marks, Co-Owner/Partner	Matt caught wind of Forty Weight before we had sold our first bag of beans. He was attending one of Andrew's legendary Soul Shakedown Parties (small BBQs), when he saw the roastery, and learned that Andrew would be doing his first farmers market the following Saturday. After a hard-fought day of competitive bocce ball, Matt offered to come help out with the market that Saturday. He made good on his offer and has been with the company ever since. Living in Brooklyn, Matt has played a pivotal role in expanding sales to New York City, and recently worked out a deal to open Forty Weight's first cafe in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Matt's hard work and passion for the game earned him a spot next to Andrew as co-owner of Forty Weight Coffee Roasters.
Amber Roy, Lover	Amber's role with the company is somewhat undefined, but her primary function seems to be eating pastries and drinking coffee. She offers much in the way of moral support, and involuntarily sacrifices a percentage of her living space to Andrew's unpredictable coffee mayhem. Amber also brings a keen tongue to the cupping table and has the ability to understand subtle flavors that most people cannot.

More to come...