BAKER CITY — Kent Virtue just wanted a great cup of coffee.

“I was searching for a better cup,” he said.

At the time, 15 years ago, he was living in northern California and managing a Raley’s grocery store. One day, a friend told him about roasting his own coffee beans.

Virtue decided to try it.

“It started with a popcorn popper,” he said. “The West Bend 1440 was the holy grail of popcorn poppers able to handle coffee beans.”

He scoured garage and estate sales to find that particular popper.

“If you could find it, you bought it,” he said.

That popper could only roast one to two ounces of beans at a time. The experience of roasting his own coffee was enjoyable, he said, so he upgraded to a roaster with more capacity and started sharing with friends and family.

He was searching, he said, for a more ceremonial way to enjoy a cup of coffee.

“We need to slow down and enjoy it,” Virtue said. “Sit down with a cup of coffee, read a book, or have a conversation.”

The move to Oregon
In 2022, Kent and his wife, Tammy, bought a house in Baker City. He has family here, and they visited often.

Before they bought a house, though, the couple hadn’t intended to live here.

“We were voted, in the family, least likely to move to Baker,” he said with a laugh.

He retired after 32 years in the grocery business and moved to Baker City in October 2022. Tammy, who is a registered nurse, came a few months later.

In the meantime, his coffee hobby kept growing. He orders green coffee beans from Sweet Maria’s in Oakland, California, and he upgraded to a fluid bed roaster from Coffee Crafters, made in Post Falls, Idaho, that can roast up to seven pounds of beans at a time.

“I’ve tried other suppliers, but was never satisfied,” he said.

Friends and neighbors kept telling him he should sell his coffee at the local farmers market, and then he had a conversation with Bryan Tweit, the executive director of Launch Pad Baker, and the county’s economic developer, who offers business mentorship.

Tweit asked Kent and Tammy, “Is this something you really want to do? And what if? What if this thing goes crazy?”

The answer, it turned out, was yes.

“I ran out of excuses,” Virtue said. “First I was too busy with work, and I wondered if I was in the right area or right market in California.”

He launched Stray Cat Coffee LLC in 2024, and started selling bags of beans — and offering coffee samples — at farmers markets in Baker City and La Grande.

“There was a really good response from Baker City and La Grande,” he said.

The business name is inspired by cats the Virtues, and their family and friends, have rescued or cared for over the years.

“It resonated with us,” he said.

In Baker City, Best Friends of Baker Inc. is the nonprofit that rescues animals, and Kent decided Stray Cat Coffee could help their mission, too.

“We immediately worked on a relationship with Best Friends of Baker,” he said.

The coffee website, straycatcoffeellc.com, has a link to donate to Best Friends. He’s also held a raffle at his booth to raise money for the rescue organization.

The coffee
In addition to farmers markets and craft fairs, Sunn Juice + Decor, 1917 Main St. in Baker City serves Stray Cat Coffee and stocks bags of coffee, and Soda Blitz, 1609 Adams Ave. in La Grande, is also a retail location.

Coffee can also be ordered from his website, and local customers can make an appointment to pick it up from Kent at Launch Pad.

“Launch Pad was with me through launching the website and establishing a social media presence,” he said.

His focus is on small batch coffee, and his offerings have toured the coffee-growing regions of the world — South America (Brazil and Peru), Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama), Africa (Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda), Indonesia and Southeast Asia (Flores Java, Sumatra, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea), and India.

“These are varieties you aren’t going to find on your grocery store shelves. We wanted people to have the opportunity to experience coffees they’ve never had before,” he said. “We’re offering a coffee passport.”

He also offers several varieties of Swiss water process decaffeinated coffee.

Although the coffee list is long, he doesn’t roast every variety all the time due to the seasonality of coffee.

“So if you find one that you like, it may not always be there. But a coffee similar to your liking will be coming soon,” he said.

Starting a business
There has been a learning curve to starting his own business — how to procure beans and entering the world of e-commerce, for instance.

“You’re going to make mistakes, trust me,” he said. “You’re going to have to pivot, recalibrate. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s been a great experience.”

But he doesn’t regret it.

“If you have a passion, don’t be afraid. It’s never too late,” he said. “It shines brightly in the eyes of my grown children, and that’s important.”

And, even though the Virtues never saw themselves living in Baker City, he said he’s glad he didn’t listen to those family votes.

“It’s probably the best thing that ever happened,” he said. “Nothing beats the environment Baker offers — the people, the beautiful country, the sense of community.”

Stray Cat Coffee, and joining the Baker City Rotary Club, has helped him meet locals and people just passing through — he now has customers in New York after a couple stopped by his booth at the farmers market.

“It’s amazing — we’ve met some of the coolest people,” he said.