Owners
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Jeff Taylor Co-Founder, Roaster, Master Barista, World Barista Competition Judge and United States Barista Competition Judge jeff@ptscoffee.com Jeff Taylor, co-owner, roaster and mastermind behind PT's Coffee Co. has an eye, and now a taste, for perfection. Jeff has built a savvy understanding of the world of coffee into an established career as one of the top micro-roasters in the United States! Prior to creating PT's Coffee Co. with business partner Fred Polzin, Jeff was a photojournalist for several newspapers including the Topeka Capital Journal and has been published in many national publications, including: Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, USA Today and ESPN The Magazine. Jeff is an award-winning photographer, and has garnered awards from the Associated Press, Inland Press, and the National Press Photographers Association, including “Region 9 Photographer of the Year in 1990.” Jeff and Fred decided to open their first coffeehouse in 1993. The small coffee house business began to take off and Jeff made the transition from award-winning photojournalist to award-winning coffee roaster and Master Barista. Most recently Jeff has judged the World Barista Championship, the United States Barista Championship and is on the Judges Committee of the WBC and the United States Barista Championship Committee. Jeff is one of only four judges in the United States that is a certified International Judge for the WBC. Jeff lives in Topeka, Kansas and is still an avid photojournalist supplying photography for the international wire service - Reuters News Pictures - on a part-time basis. | Fred Polzin Co-Founder, Operations Manager fred@ptscoffee.com Fred Polzin, co-founder of PT's Coffee Co., was born in Hoisington, Kan., in 1963. Fred grew up in Emporia, where he graduated from Emporia High School in 1981. He attended both Emporia State University and Washburn University in Topeka, Kan., majoring in Communications and Political Science. Fred and Jeff decided to open their first coffeehouse in 1993. Prior to that, Fred had managed a number of fast food restaurants including Burger King and Schlotzsky's. Giving the partnership the experience needed on the retail level to succeed. As the small coffee house business began to take off, Fred left his full-time job with Schlotzsky's Corp. to pursue this new venture. PT's began roasting its own coffee for restaurants and coffee houses throughout northeast Kansas. Soon the business expanded and additional coffeehouses were added. In 1999, Fred led the charge to form PT's Coffee Co., a wholesale company and supplier of micro-roasted coffee in the Midwest. There are two retail locations and well over 200 wholesale accounts across the country. |