What started as a hobby has become a full-time business in Redmond.

Clay Blake began roasting his own coffee six years ago in an air popcorn popper he got as a gift. He began selling bagged coffee while he lived in Gresham, where he worked as a firefighter. He took it a step further and began brewing it and selling it after moving to Terrebonne and opening Smith Rock Coffee Roasters in Redmond, which he operates with his wife, Nanette.

The coffee shop opened Oct. 1 at 106 SE Evergreen Ave. Suite B, next to the Farmer’s Co-Op antique mall. The building, which offers drive-thru and walk-up service, has been home to several coffee stands before. But the Blakes hope their practices of trying to use high-quality organic beans roasted on site, prepared using a hand-operated machine, will make their business a lasting one.

“It’s the traditional way to make it,” Clay Blake said of the machine. “There’s no computer to break down. I hate to be mean, but we actually use some brains to make our coffee.”

Along with traditional coffee beverages, Smith Rock also has smoothies, including one made with Red Bull and the customer’s choice of flavor. And it’s not just beverages, the stand offers breakfast sandwiches like the fried eggs and ham on a bagel or ciabatta bread along with other breakfast dishes such as “guts and gravy,” made up of breakfast burrito fixins like sausage, potatoes and eggs, covered in sausage gravy.

For lunch, Smith Rock offers homemade soup, as well as the “Lunch Box Special,” made up of a sandwich, chips, a pickle and a homemade cookie.

“We don’t do canned anything,” Clay said.

They have attracted a regular customer base, as well as new fans.

“It’s kind of like we cook every morning for our friends,” Clay said.

The stand is popular among businesses in the area east of Highway 97 and the railroad tracks. The Blakes say it’s common for a forklift, horse trailer or semitruck to pull up to the drive-thru.

“There is a lot of food that goes out of here just because of the industry here,” Nanette said.

The Blakes are willing to go the extra mile for customers in the complex they share, said Rhonda Pierce with Hagemeister Enterprises Inc., which is just across the driveway from Smith Rock Coffee. She also appreciates the rotating menu the coffee shop has.

“If we’re too busy to go next door and get our lunch, they come over and see if we need it,” she said. “They’re very nice — definitely put the customer first.”

wSmith Rock is open from 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m.-2 p.m. weekends.

Each morning they roast the coffee for 18-to-20 minutes, then let it rest for sale the next day.

“We roast every day,” Clay said. “That’s the thing about our coffee — it’s always fresh.”

— Reporter: 541-548-2186, gfolsom@redmondspokesman.com