About Us

Mission
     Barbell Brew was created for two reasons: To share our passion for great coffee and to make our community a better place through our Coffee for a Cause. 

History
The Beginning
     Our story began in the early 2000’s, when childhood best friends, Tyler Gulker and Chadwick Walters, were first introduced to coffee roasting by the original Roast Master and Tyler’s dad, Joe (hence our “Cup of Joe” – Costa Rica). Growing up, coffee roasting became a household staple. From the raw green coffee beans found throughout the garage to the fresh roasted aroma that filled the house, the passion for artisan coffee roasting was passed from one generation to the next!

Establishing the Business
     Founder, Ty Gulker, discovered fitness in 2010. The strong desire for a healthy lifestyle quickly grew into aspirations of his own home gym. Fast forward to 2017, Ty had enough of his cubical and quit his 9-5 accounting job. He decided to combine his true passions - the barbell and great coffee. Immediately he returned to his childhood roots; converting his garage gym into a one-of-a-kind roastery where each bag of coffee is roasted daily, numbered, labeled and packaged by hand.

Today
     The team of Ty and Chad provide their hometown of Troy, Ohio and surrounding area with the freshest, smoothest coffee while taking great pride in giving back to the community in the process. While primarily an e-commerce business, Barbell Brew can also be found at various retail & fitness locations in the Troy area. 


Our Process
     Our premium, single-origin coffee beans are air-roasted in one-pound batches. Small batch roasting allows for specific temperature profiles to be used, enhancing regional flavors and creating a smooth tasteful cup that is never bitter.

 

Where the magic happens!

What is Air Roasted Coffee?
      Air roasted coffee is roasted on a fluid bed of hot air as opposed to the traditional technique of tumbling in a hot steel drum. Coffee lovers who prefer air roasted coffee insist the taste is smoother and less bitter than traditional drum roasted coffee. “Sivetz roasting,” as air roasting is sometimes called named after the inventor Mike Sivetz, became mildly popular in the 1970’s. However, despite the many benefits it offers, it still remains a relatively unheard of process today, a method only used to roast 1-2% of all coffee.

To learn more about what sets us apart, check out The Barbell Difference.

Notes from the Barbell Brew Crew
Tyler Gulker - Roast Master
     First of all, thank you for your time! I know we are all afforded only a finite amount of time on this earth and for you to be sharing some of it with us, truly is an honor. When I quit my job in 2017 I had no plan or idea what was next. I knew I wanted to do something I took pride in. That something ended up being Barbell Brew. It has been a rollercoaster of a ride and certainly a grind (no pun intended!) but other than marrying my wife it has been the best decision of my life. Today, I am honored to roast coffee every day. When I'm not in the roastery with a cup of hot brew, you'll find me hanging with my best buddy - my 2 year old son Aiden or throwing some weights around in the gym. Thank you for supporting our dream. Cheers!

Chadwick Walters – Sales
    I am a father of 3 and married to my (Jr) high school sweetheart, Natausha. I was an ’06 graduate of Troy High School and chose this wonderful city to raise my family. I joined the Brew Crew full time in 2019 as a way to get my entrepreneurial feet wet and because I loved the foundation Ty built the company on. I have worked in many different fields, Automation for the last 8 years, but none have brought me the joy of seeing the reaction of people trying Barbell Brew for the first time. All bias aside, I firmly believe we have the best coffee around and I will never shy away from that statement. Yes, the title next to my name says "Sales" but the coffee does the work for me. One taste and you will understand what I mean. I sincerely thank you for your interest/support in our small business and for supporting our dream!