The Unseen Bean

Founded2004; 21 years ago

Headquarters

United States

ProductsCoffee

The Unseen Bean
Founded	2004; 21 years ago (2004)
Headquarters	Boulder, Colorado , United States
Products	Coffee

The Unseen Bean is a coffee roasting company^[1] and café in Boulder, Colorado. Gerry Leary, blind since birth, started selling roasted coffee in 2004,^[2] and opened the retail café in March, 2007.^[3] Leary, who is also an advocate for the disabled,^[4] advertises "blind roasted coffee" to rouse interest in prospective customers.^[3] Leary runs the business and roasts coffee with the help of a guide dog, who is also featured on the coffee's packaging;^[5] talking thermometers; and timers.^[1] He gauges when the coffee beans are roasted by smell and hearing.^[5] The Unseen Bean was featured in the 2008 Top of the Town issue of Denver magazine 5280.^[6] Leary received training and certification in roasting coffee from the Coffee Training Institute and West Coast Specialty Coffee Company in San Francisco, California.^[7]

1 2 Shanley, Will (April 14, 2005). "Denver trade show helps blind entrepreneurs get dreams off ground". The Denver Post. Retrieved April 2, 2009. Undaunted, Leary founded his own roasting company, The Unseen Bean
↑ Wallace, Alice (May 29, 2007). "Unseen Bean expands to a retail front". Daily Camera. Retrieved April 2, 2009. Most recently, the Unseen Bean and Leary's "blind-roasted coffee" grew into its own coffee shop in the Siena Square building that's just north of Pearl Street on Broadway
1 2 Forgrieve, Janet (May 1, 2007). "Independents serve rich blend". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved April 2, 2009. Leary, blind since birth, gave up a 40-year career as a self-employed auto mechanic in 2001. He has been roasting coffee beans using his other senses since 2003, beginning at home with small batches he sold to friends for $5 a bag ^{[dead link‍]}
↑ "Inside the Tent: The Unseen Bean". Reuters. August 28, 2008. Archived from the original on September 16, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009. He speaks to Inside the Tent contributor Lauren Shannon about his advocacy work for the disabled as he serves up free coffee so that DNC bloggers can "be wide awake and write like mad.
1 2 Sunshine, Rebecca (October 9, 2007). "A Blind Roasted Bean". Retrieved April 2, 2009. The Unseen Bean uses Braille throughout the production process, and the image of Leary's guide dog, Midnight, is on all the packaging for his coffee Archived 2019-08-15 at the Wayback Machine
↑ Meyers, Cheryl (July 2008). "5280.com - July 2008 - Top of the Town". 5280. p. 2. Retrieved April 2, 2009. Armed with a talking roasting meter and what he calls "blind-roasted passion," Unseen Bean owner Gerry Leary—blind since birth—brews some of the most deliciously complex roasts we've tried...maybe ever^{[permanent dead link‍]}
↑ Ashmore, Alice. "The Unseen Bean: The story of how passion outwits obstacles". Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009. Gerry eventually received training and certification as a Master Coffee Roaster from the Coffee Training Institute and West Coast Specialty Coffee Company in San Francisco

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