Door County Coffee Remained Perked Up in 2020

By Craig Sterrett , Peninsula Pulse – December 4th, 2020

Contractors put up sheeting for the roof this month during the most recent addition to Door County Coffee and Tea in Carlsville. The 27-year-old business – at one point operated by Vicki Nelson in a space at the feed mill in Forestville – now has regular customers throughout the United States and in eight countries. Door County Coffee distributes to grocers in the Upper Midwest and does custom roasting and labeling for clients. Photo by Craig Sterrett.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on many retail sectors, but Doug Wilson doesn’t think it has curbed the desire for coffee.

“Since they can’t get it at work, they’re ordering it from here,” said Wilson, chief executive officer and chief financial officer of Door County Coffee and Tea, a coffee-serving and coffee-roasting business.

Founder Vicki Wilson and her husband, Doug, saw customer traffic decline in the coffee shop, restaurant and gift shop in Carlsville this spring, summer and fall, he said, but an influx of outdoor diners and coffee drinkers boosted business somewhat at the front of the house.

Online product orders have risen over the years, and that trend gained momentum in 2020.

“This year is actually going up more and putting a strain on our production capabilities,” Wilson said – and that strain has come despite the company adding a third roaster to its line.

Taking a break while still wearing his hair net from the production area at Door County Coffee and Tea, Doug Wilson, the company’s CEO and CFO, points to the roasting room through a window in the store and coffee shop. Wilson said the addition under construction will help the business to expand its shipping facilities and an equipment-repair area, plus add office space and a conference room. Photo by Craig Sterrett.

This year, demand caused the company to begin constructing an addition to create more office space, an equipment-repair area and a conference room. Contractors are building that addition over the top of the longtime drive-through lane.

The Wilsons temporarily closed the drive-through this fall until the construction above and around it is complete. During recent years, the family has constructed additions for its production and shipping areas, and now those structures stretch out for the equivalent of almost a city block toward the west of the main building.

Doug Wilson said that today, when running in full production mode, Door County Coffee has between 65 and 75 employees.