Local Business Spotlight: Park City Coffee Roaster

Brothers Ray and Robert Hibl, owners and operators of Park City Coffee Roaster. Photo: Courtesy Park City Coffee Roasters

PARK CITY, Utah. In nearly three decades, Park City Coffee Roaster has become an integral part of the Park City community. Twin brothers Ray and Robert Hibl own and operate the business with careful attention to quality and ethics.

The brothers had an unconventional journey that led to operating Park City Coffee Roaster. “I was a mortgage banker in Park City in 1994 and felt I needed to find something less stressful for the future. My brother was a firefighter in Aspen at the time, Robert explains.

Park City Coffee Roaster began with Robert’s dream of doing business with Ray. “We opened up in November 1994 under the historic Imperial Hotel. My brother Ray and I bought the company in 1997,” Robert says, “I operate as the Managing Partner. My brother is the Director of Operations.”

Out-of-the-gate business boomed for Park City Coffee Roaster. “With the 2002 Olympics on the horizon, we became very busy right away and kept building production and sales outlook year after year,” Robert describes.

A big part of their success is attention to detail and excellence every step of the way, including the machinery. “In college, I spent a lot of time in the Cafe Trieste in North Beach of San Francisco. They roasted on a machine I fell in love with called an L12 Probat that was built in 1907 in Germany,” Robert says, “When we bought the PC Roaster, I searched out for an L12 and found one built in 1984 in west Germany, and we roasted on that machine for the next 17 years.”

The brothers purchase beans for roasting from USDA Fair Trade and certified organic farms. Their commitment to paying coffee farmers fair means that every batch of beans helps to alleviate poverty.

Ray and Robert’s careful attention to quality and ethics helped put them on the map, and now Park City Coffee Roaster supplies coffee well outside Park City limits. “We currently operate a wholesale direct-to-business from Las Vegas, Nevada to Burley, Idaho,” Robert states. “We also have a flagship cafe in the Kimball Junction area of Park City that some would say is the busiest spot in town. We create our baked goods on sight and have a full fresh juice program onsite.”

While Park City Coffee Roaster continues to thrive and grow beyond the boundaries of Utah, Ray and Robert value their tried and true customers. “We always look forward to our local customers who have been so loyal through the years,” Robert says. The loyal customers show their adoration for Park City Coffee Roaster by voting them the “Best of Park City” Coffee Shops award for 12 years straight.

Robert knows that visitors also play a role in the business’s success. “We also enjoy the tourists that visit and experience a little part of a Park City home-grown business and try to gain business by online sales to those tourists to keep Park City with them at their home,” he says.

With winter festivities approaching, a gift of gourmet coffee will surely please the connoisseur. “I’m really excited about our Christmas/Holiday Blend coming out next month. We sourced a wonderful bouquet of beans from the south pacific, central, and South Americas. It is a pleasure to always share this each year locally,” Robert exclaims.