Homer’s own Fika Coffee Roasters will be competing in a statewide coffee roasting competition this weekend at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer. The local roastery got its start at the Homer Farmers Market a few years ago, quickly expanding to fill the need for high-quality, delicious, and creative caffeinated drinks on the lower Kenai Peninsula.
Tyler Moskios-Schlieman, who co-owns Fika with their partner Sierra, got their start in specialty coffee after graduating from college.
“I just always thought that baristas were really cool,” they said in an interview on Monday. “And I was like, I want to be cool like a barista.”
After moving to New York City and working as a roaster for a few years, Moskios-Schlieman made their way to Homer, where they worked as a barista at Kbay Caffe & Roasting Co. with former owner Michael McGuire and at Coal Town Coffee & Tea with former owner Katy Rice and current owner Maria Fourier.
When Lindsey Stow — the former owner of Stowaway Cafe on East End Road — decided to sell her Homer Farmers Market booth, Moskios-Schlieman jumped at the opportunity, creating their own business, Fika Coffee Roasters.
For a few years, they experimented with roasting coffee using the roaster of a friend, Justice Sky of the former Ano Kissaten Coffee Roasters. Two years ago, Moskios-Schlieman purchased their own roasting machine, allowing them to increase output.
This summer, Fika further expanded with the creation of their new mobile coffee trailer, affectionately known as the “snail mobile.” The added mobility of the new trailer has allowed the business to expand to several events over the summer, including a presence at the inaugural HarborFest — where Fika, along with the Zen Den Cafe, won Best Drink in the Taste of Homer competition for their lavender foam cold brew — and at Salmonfest.
Moskios-Schlieman said this year was their first at Salmonfest, and they were the first vendors to set up and sell within the ARCHES campground, serving a total of 547 servings of French press coffee.
They first heard about the coffee roasting competition after being approached by the owner of Aethereal Coffee. The inaugural event will take place at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17, at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer. The first round will be judged by a panel of experts, with four roasts then selected to be sampled by the general public, who will vote for a winner. The top three winners will receive a VIP ticket to the Golden Bean Americas Golden Bean Coffee Roasters Competition, and first place will win 10 pounds of specialty coffee from Gold Mountain Coffee Growers.
Moskios-Schlieman said they plan to enter a peaberry coffee from Kenya. While typical coffee beans have two seeds per coffee cherry, peaberry coffees have a single seed, resulting in a denser, rounder and softer coffee bean. They said the coffee has notes of black currant and spiced grapefruit, with a citrus peel aroma.
You can find more information about Fika Coffee Roasters and order coffee online at fikacoffeeak.com. Locals can also buy coffee online and pick it up at the Homer Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, through the end of September. Find Fika coffee beans in Homer at Save U More, Cole’s Market, Ulmer’s, Wagon Wheel, AK Salt Co, Oodalolly, Alasandro’s Market, Old Sterling Outfitters, and Mug Up/Salmon Sisters. Wild Honey serves Fika for their drip and espresso, and you can ask for Fika espresso at the Zen Den Cafe, which also uses their beans for crafting their cold brew recipe.
In Soldotna, Lucy’s Market sells both fresh Fika coffee and coffee beans. In Anchorage, you can find Fika during “Fika Fridays,” and purchase beans in Fairbanks at retailer, Lichen.
Correction: An earlier version of this story featured incorrect pronouns for Tyler Moskios-Schlieman. The Peninsula Clarion regrets this error.
