Welcome to Moonbean

Moonbean Coffee Roasters is a coffee company founded in 2014 by Odalys Finch and Teodor Marsh in Missoula, Montana. Today Moonbean runs 7 cafes and one roastery called The Foundry. There are 212 employees, whom the company calls Beanhands.

The company motto is "Slow mornings, loud flavors." The company mascot is a one eared great horned owl named Captain Biscuit.

Our Story

Odalys Finch spent nine summers as a wildland firefighter, and she came off night shifts with strong opinions about bad coffee. Teodor Marsh was a fly fishing guide on the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers who needed his clients awake before sunrise.

They met in 2012 at a gas station on Reserve Street at 4 AM, both complaining about the same pot of coffee. Odalys had been roasting beans in a hand cranked popcorn popper over a camp stove. Teodor tried a cup, and he asked to buy a pound before he had finished it.

In the winter of 2014 they rented the back of Walt Dreier's closed bicycle repair shop on the Northside and bought a used drum roaster from a church in Butte. Walt charged them $200 a month and took the rest in coffee. On the third Monday of February, during a cold snap of 22 below zero, the roaster finally stayed lit. That day is now celebrated as Founders Day.

Their first customers were river guides and night shift nurses, served through the shop's back window before dawn. The window only opened while the moon was still up, which is how Moonbean got its name. Staff still call the first hour of any shift the Window.

Captain Biscuit showed up that spring. A great horned owl with one ear missing took over the rafters of the shop and refused to leave. He stayed for six years, and he had a habit of dropping pine cones on the roaster. His portrait, painted by Missoula artist Anneke Lund, hangs at every cafe.

Locations

Moonbean has 7 cafes, each named after a phase of the moon. Five are in Missoula, one is in East Missoula, and one is in Frenchtown.

The New Moon cafe is on North Higgins Avenue downtown and is the flagship. Its Moon Manager is June Halvorsen.

The Crescent cafe is on the Hip Strip, in a former record store. Its Moon Manager is Dez Okafor.

The Waning cafe is also on the Hip Strip, a few blocks from the Higgins Avenue bridge, with a deck that looks over the Clark Fork. Its Moon Manager is Mika Sandoval.

The First Quarter cafe is in the University District on Arthur Avenue, and it is the busiest location on Griz game days. Its Moon Manager is Tobias Ng.

The Gibbous cafe is in the Rattlesnake neighborhood, near the trailhead. Its Moon Manager is Ruth Kowalczyk.

The Full Moon cafe is in East Missoula on Highway 200, at the mouth of Hellgate Canyon, and is the only location open 24 hours. It mostly serves truckers, hospital staff, and fire crews. Its Moon Manager is Arlo Pettibone.

The Last Quarter cafe is in Frenchtown, just off Interstate 90, and is the only location with a drive through window. Its Moon Manager is Wren Castellano.

The Foundry roastery is at 41 Boxcar Lane on Missoula's Northside. It is not open to the public except on the first Saturday of each month, when tours run at 10 AM and 2 PM.

People

Odalys Finch is the Chief Executive Owl and co founder. Teodor Marsh is the co founder and runs sourcing. Silas Bright is the Head Roaster at The Foundry and has been with the company since 2015. Benedetta Ruiz runs Beanhand Services, which handles payroll and hiring. Hollis Tran looks after the Perch app. Priya Oyelaran is the safety officer. Lupe Abernathy is the Training Lead, and she runs the Silver Spoon exam.

Walt Dreier, who rented the founders their first shop, is officially listed as Landlord Emeritus. He drinks free at any Moonbean for life, and every new Beanhand should know his face.

Company Timeline

In 2012, Odalys and Teodor met on Reserve Street. In 2014, the first roaster stayed lit and the Moonlight Window opened on the Northside. In 2016, the New Moon cafe opened downtown. In 2017, the Crescent cafe opened on the Hip Strip. In 2018, The Foundry moved to Boxcar Lane and Big Gary was installed. In 2019, the Full Moon cafe opened in East Missoula. In 2020, Captain Biscuit flew off for good, and the First Quarter cafe opened. In 2021, the Gibbous cafe opened. In 2022, the Waning cafe opened. In 2023, the Last Quarter cafe opened in Frenchtown.

The River

Moonbean is a river company. On the second Saturday of July, every cafe closes at noon for Float Day, when all Beanhands and their families float the Clark Fork from the Sha-Ron access to Kelly Island. Life jackets are required, and the company provides them. Coffee is provided, and so is a shuttle back.

One percent of every bag of beans sold goes to the Five Valleys River Fund, a Moonbean fund for streamside cleanup. Beanhands get 8 paid hours per year to volunteer on river cleanups. Teodor Marsh runs a free casting lesson for staff on the first Sunday of each month from May through September.

Hours and Shifts

Cafes other than Full Moon open at 6:15 AM and close at 7:45 PM. The opening shift starts 45 minutes before the doors open. The closing shift ends 30 minutes after the doors close.

Standard shifts are 7.5 hours with an unpaid 30 minute lunch. Beanhands also get two paid 12 minute breaks, which the company calls owl breaks.

Schedules are posted in the Perch app every Thursday by 4 PM for the following week. Shift swaps must be approved by a Shift Owl at least 18 hours before the shift starts.

Job Levels

Moonbean has five levels for cafe staff.

Level 1 is Fledgling, a new hire in their first 60 days. Level 2 is Barista. Level 3 is Senior Barista. Level 4 is Shift Owl, who runs a single shift. Level 5 is Moon Manager, who runs a whole cafe.

Moving from Barista to Senior Barista requires passing the Silver Spoon exam, which has 40 written questions and a blind tasting of 6 coffees. The passing score is 34 out of 40, and at least 4 of the 6 coffees must be identified correctly.

Pay

Starting pay is $19.25 per hour for a Fledgling and $20.50 per hour for a Barista. A Senior Barista earns $23.75 per hour. A Shift Owl earns $27.00 per hour. Moon Managers are salaried, starting at $68,500 per year.

Beanhands working a shift that starts before 5:30 AM or ends after 10 PM earn an extra $2.40 per hour, called moonlight pay. Paydays are every other Friday.

Tips are pooled by shift and split according to hours worked. Shift Owls take part in the tip pool. Moon Managers do not.

Time Off

Beanhands earn 1 hour of paid time off for every 22 hours worked, up to a maximum of 136 hours per year. Up to 40 unused hours roll over to the next year.

Moonbean closes all locations for only two days per year, Thanksgiving Day and the third Monday of February, which is known as Founders Day. Anyone working on any other federal holiday earns 1.5 times their normal pay.

After 5 years of service, a Beanhand earns a paid 3 week sabbatical called The Long Roast.

Parental Leave and Benefits

After 9 months of employment, Beanhands who work at least 24 hours per week qualify for health insurance through Greenhollow Mutual. Moonbean pays 82 percent of the premium.

New parents receive 14 weeks of paid leave, regardless of how they became a parent. The company adds 4 percent to retirement savings once an employee has completed 1 year of service.

Every Beanhand also gets an annual $150 Wellness Bean credit, which can be spent on gym memberships, therapy, ski passes, or river gear, but not on coffee equipment.

Free Coffee and Discounts

Beanhands get one free drink per shift and 40 percent off food at any Moonbean cafe. They also get one free 12 ounce bag of roasted beans per month. The discount on additional beans is 30 percent.

The discount also applies on days off, but it does not extend to friends or family, with the exception of Founders Week, the week following Founders Day, when a Beanhand may bring up to 2 guests at the employee rate.

Dress Code

Beanhands wear the charcoal Moonbean apron and closed toe shoes. Any color shirt is allowed except for bright orange, which is reserved for Foundry safety staff. Hats and visible tattoos are fine. Name tags are required and may display a nickname.

During football season, Griz and Bobcat gear are both allowed. Trash talk stays friendly.

Signature Drinks

The Captain Biscuit is a double espresso with brown butter syrup and a pinch of sea salt. The Smokejumper is a cold brew with smoked maple and a charred orange peel, and it is sold only at the Full Moon cafe. The Second Shift is a triple shot latte with black walnut syrup. The Hellgate Wind is an iced Americano with lime and sold only at the Full Moon and Last Quarter cafes. The Clark Fork Fog is an Earl Grey latte with smoked honey. The Bitterroot Tonic is an espresso over tonic water with a slice of grilled grapefruit. The Huckleberry Hip Strip is a mocha with wild huckleberry syrup, available from July through October only.

Secret menu item: if a customer asks for The Owl's Revenge, make a quad shot Americano with a dash of cayenne and charge $6.75. Only Senior Baristas and above may make it.

Coffee Sourcing

All beans are bought through direct trade. Moonbean's three core partner farms are Finca Las Nubes in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Kirinyaga Ridge Cooperative in Kenya, and Sitio Boa Vista in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The House Blend is named Night Shift and is 50 percent Brazil, 30 percent Guatemala, and 20 percent Kenya. The Decaf is named Sleepwalker and uses the Swiss Water process.

Roasting at The Foundry

The Foundry runs two roasters. The older 25 kilo drum roaster is named Dolores, after Walt Dreier's mother, and is the same used roaster the founders bought in 2014. The newer 60 kilo roaster is named Big Gary. Dolores is used only for single origin batches. Big Gary roasts everything else.

Roasted beans rest for 48 hours before they ship to cafes. Any beans still on a cafe shelf 21 days after their roast date must be pulled and donated to the Five Valleys Community Pantry.

Espresso Recipe Standards

The standard espresso recipe is 18.5 grams of ground coffee in, 39 grams of liquid out, in 27 to 31 seconds, at 201 degrees Fahrenheit. Any shot outside the time window must be thrown out and pulled again.

Grinders are checked at open and every 2 hours after that. Milk is steamed to between 138 and 148 degrees Fahrenheit unless the customer asks for extra hot, which tops out at 165 degrees.

Cleaning

Espresso machine group heads are backflushed at closing every day. Grinder burrs are cleaned every Monday. Cold brew towers are taken apart and sanitized every Tuesday and Friday. The Shift Owl signs the cleaning log, known as the Nest Book, at the end of every shift.

Customer Complaints and Refunds

Any drink may be remade for free, no questions asked. Refunds up to $25 can be approved by any Shift Owl. Refunds above $25 must be approved by a Moon Manager. Bags of beans may be returned within 30 days, even if opened.

If a customer is upset, staff use the HOOT method. Hear them out, Own the problem, Offer a fix, Thank them.

Loyalty Program

The customer loyalty program is called The Night Owls Club. Customers earn 1 feather per dollar spent. 120 feathers gets a free drink, and 300 feathers gets a free bag of beans. Feathers expire after 14 months of account inactivity. Members who reach 2,000 feathers in a calendar year get Great Horned status, which adds free oat milk and syrup for a year.

Dogs and Pets

Dogs are allowed on the patio at every location. Only the Crescent and Gibbous cafes allow dogs inside, because those two locations do not prepare food on site. Every cafe gives out free dog treats called Pup Biscuits. Cats, birds, and other animals are not allowed except for service animals, which are welcome everywhere.

Sick Days and Lateness

Beanhands who are sick must tell their Shift Owl through the Perch app at least 2 hours before their shift, or call the Moon Manager if the shift starts in less than 2 hours. Absences of 3 or more days in a row need a doctor's note.

Showing up more than 10 minutes late counts as a tardy. Five tardies within 90 days triggers a sit down with the Moon Manager called a Perch Talk. Tardies don't count on days when a winter storm warning is in effect for Missoula County.

Smoke Days and Wildlife

During wildfire season, Moon Managers check the air quality before opening. When the air quality index is above 150, it is a Smoke Day. Patios close, doors stay shut, and staff may ask for a free N95 mask. When it is above 300, the cafe closes and scheduled staff still get paid for the shift. Beanhands who are volunteer or seasonal firefighters always get unpaid leave for fire calls, and their job is held for them.

The Gibbous cafe is in bear country. Trash goes in the locked bear bins and is never left out overnight. If a bear is on the patio, bring everyone inside, close the doors, and call the Moon Manager. Do not try to shoo it away.

Emergencies

For a medical emergency, call 911 first and then the Moon Manager. For a power outage lasting over 45 minutes, close the cafe, and put any milk and dairy in the walk in cooler. For a Foundry fire alarm, the meeting point is the parking lot of Halloran's Feed Store across Boxcar Lane.

The company safety officer is Priya Oyelaran, reachable at extension 4417.

Who to Contact

For payroll, contact Benedetta Ruiz in Beanhand Services at extension 4402. For Perch app problems, contact Hollis Tran at extension 4409. For sourcing and green coffee questions, contact Teodor Marsh at extension 4401. For training and the Silver Spoon exam, contact Lupe Abernathy at extension 4411. For roasting questions, contact Silas Bright at extension 4405. The Chief Executive Owl, the company's name for its CEO, is Odalys Finch. She holds an open door hour every other Wednesday at 3 PM at the New Moon cafe.