By Barrett Bergez
Keaton Crane outside of the Sugar Brown’s location in downtown Lubbock (Photo by Gabrielle Sauceda)
Since he was a teenager, Lubbockite Keaton Crane has had a love of coffee and the community that lives around it.
When he turned 18, Crane got his first job in the coffee industry at a local coffee shop called Gatsby’s Coffeehouse that has since closed down.
Crane said it was at Gatsby’s he found his fist mentor, his manager at the time, who taught him the foundation of his knowledge of coffee and being a barista.
Crane said he worked at Gatsby’s for a few years and eventually got a job at Sugar Brown’s Coffee Co., 1500 Broadway St., where he is currently the coffee manager and the head roaster.
After years of being in the coffee industry and having more responsibility through managing a shop himself, Crane said he started to think about roasting and whether it was something he could do.
“For a long time, I did not have any interest in it,” Crane said, “you know it just seemed like an entire different league from what I was doing behind bar.”
As Sugar Brown’s grew as a business, Crane said they wanted to become more self-sufficient so having a roasting operation became a logical step to take. Crane said he was excited for the challenge.
Sawyer Crane, Keaton’s wife of two years, said coffee and the coffee community are a very important part or Keaton’s life and their life together.
“He told me he would make me coffee every morning in our wedding vows,” Sawyer said.
Roasted coffee beans cooling off in the cooling bin at the Sugar Brown’s roastery (provided photo)
Sawyer said Keaton spends much of his time outside of work studying and researching topics related to coffee roasting and the business side of running a coffee shop.
“Keaton has gone from working at a café, to managing two cafes, to teaching himself chemistry and learning to roast,” Sawyer said.
Emmy Latham, Keaton’s production assistant at the coffee roastery, said Keaton’s passion of coffee comes from how he feels he can interact with the community through his coffee.
“He’s a dreamer, he’s passionate, but he’s also logical,” Latham said, “he actually thinks through like, how, what this dream needs to be accomplished.”
Keaton and Sawyer both said the core of Keaton’s passion of coffee comes from the impact on the community Keaton feels he has.
“I think he really enjoys the craft behind it, the science involved,” Sawyer said, “and ultimately the community it brings.”
Keaton spoke about the connection he has with his customers.
“It’s a really neat thing, especially when you have your regulars who they’re choosing, you know, as part of their daily routine to come and see you and get your product,” Keaton said.
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