At a glance
- Roasts inBeaverton, OR
- Founded2017
- Founded byPaul Thornton and Rachel Thornton Verhaalen
- VisitorsOpen to the public
Thornton Family Coffee Roasters is one of the beloved local roasters we follow in Oregon: an independent roaster based in Beaverton, founded in 2017. Here is what their own pages and public sources say about them, in our words.
Their story
Paul Thornton began roasting in 1982 as roastmaster at Coffee Bean International in Portland and stayed about 30 years before leaving to start a family roastery. He opened the business in 2017 with his daughter Rachel, who had managed cafes and spent 2012 to 2016 producing Kona coffee in Hawaii. Seven of Paul's children and his sister now work at the Beaverton plant as roasters, baristas, managers and drivers.
Paul is a past president of the Specialty Coffee Association and helped found the Roasters Guild, and he has sat on more than ten international cupping panels. His son Ben trained beside him for five years and is now head roaster, running day to day production. Alongside its own label, the company roasts Tazzina Coffee, an Italian style sister brand, and does private label roasting for other businesses.
Its Nicaragua comes from family farms in the Aldea Global cooperative in Jinotega, which has more than 500 members, 47 percent of them women.
What they roast
House blends include Dad's House, Roaster's Choice (dark), Concord and Apex. Single origins on the list when we checked: Guatemala Guaya'b Women's Cooperative, Costa Rica Monte Crisol, Costa Rica Dota Tarrazu, Nicaragua (dark roast), Washed Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Tanzania Peaberry, Brazil Mogiana, Peru San Ignacio, Colombia Timana and Nicaragua Cafe Aldea. Decaf: Decaf Dad's House. Offerings change with the seasons, so this is what their own pages listed on 2026-09-28.
Where to drink it
A walk-up window at the roasting plant sells beans, espresso drinks and baked goods seven days a week.
Address
12420 SW Millikan Way, Beaverton, OR 97005
Roasting plant with a walk-up retail window.
Why buying from Thornton Family Coffee Roasters matters here
The walk-up window on SW Millikan Way pairs the coffee with pastries from Marsee Baking and a few teas from The Jasmine Pearl. The family's stated aim is to put West Portland on the map as a place for specialty coffee.
Every bag bought from a Beaverton roaster pays roasting and cafe wages in Oregon, and the coffee reaches you days after roasting instead of months. That is the reason the club exists. Why local roasters matter.
About this listing
Listed as a local favorite. A listing does not mean Thornton Family Coffee Roasters is part of the club.
Are you Thornton Family Coffee Roasters? Email coffee@multnomahcoffeeclub.com to correct or remove this page.
More Oregon roasters
- AVA Roasteria, Beaverton
- Mutts Coffee, Beaverton
- Sauvie Island Coffee Company, Beaverton
By Joe McRose, Multnomah Coffee Club. Updated . Facts from Thornton Family Coffee Roasters' own pages and public sources, read 2026-09-28.