Dan Biography
Dan was born in Ogden, Utah. He joined the army to earn the G.I. Bill, and served in Denver, Colorado as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal technician. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Weber State College with a Bachelor Degree in Accounting. He moved to Oregon in 1980, where he received his CPA certificate and worked in Public Accounting for several years. He was the Controller for the local Pepsi bottler for 20 years.

Always an entrepreneurial spirit, he opened a coffee shop with his wife Roni in Corvallis, OR. Soon thereafter they bought their first Diedrich Coffee Roaster and placed it in the front window of their coffee shop. Dan received training in roasting coffee at the Diedrich production facility in Sandpoint, Idaho. He has also attending several training courses and read numerous articles on the art of roasting coffee. First and foremost Dan is committed to the art or roasting, perfected by many hundreds of hours of experience roasting coffee.

Dan and Roni grew the wholesale side of business, mainly by roasting all of the coffee for the Made in Oregon retail chain and providing local quality coffee houses. In 2001 they decided to adopt a child, so they sold the coffee shop and moved the roastery to a new location.

In October 2003 they moved to Grand Junction, Colorado (read our story…pretty amazing.) Dan is committed to a belief in God and convinced that success in business is dependent on everyone involved being successful.

Dan is a member of the Specialty Coffee Association and its related Specialty Coffee Roasters Guild. He is also a member of the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Grand Junction Association.

Roni was born and raised in the Seattle area. With Coffee getting its start in Seattle and Roni getting her start in Seattle you would think that she had some inkling that Coffee would be in her future. But it took years for her to realize her passion for this complicated yet sophisticated Coffee World.

After leaving home she moved to Oregon where she met Dan. In 1996 they decided to take a vacation and travel through the great state of Colorado. Knowing that along the way they would get married and return home to Oregon as a husband and wife. The morning of October 18th in Aspen Colorado they decided that this was the day and Aspen was the place and they were married. (Check out our store to see how almost 10years later they moved to Colorado…it is pretty crazy)

After returning home they start their life together and they started their first business together. They opened an Espresso Café in Corvallis Oregon (Roni-Jo’s Espresso). Roni received as much
Barista training as she could find and her passion for Fine Coffee began. She trained with Seattle’s Best and Allan Brothers Coffee. She took as many classes and seminars as she could find read endless coffee publications. It was her desire to be the best Barista that she could be. It did not take long for them to realize that they needed to start roasting themselves to maintain freshness and consistency. So they purchased a Deidrich Coffee Roaster and did exactly that.

Dan and Roni had great success with the Roasting business and with the Café but something was missing – and her name was Dani. Roni had longed to be a mother and struggled for years with infertility. So they decided on adoption. In February of 2002 they traveled to China and brought their beautiful daughter home with them. Wanting to stay home with their daughter they decided to sell the Café but kept the roasting with its wholesale business.

They now enjoy life in Grand Junction, Colorado (like I mentioned above, check out their story…it is awesome). Roni is fully aware that God provides everything in her life and that she has been blessed abundantly. God has brought her this far in her great life and God will continue to guide her journey here on Earth.

Dani spent her first years of life at home with Mom, and working in the Roastery with her Mom and Dad. In October 2003 while on vacation, she began a process that landed her in Beautiful Grand Junction, Colorado. (read our story). She continues to flourish and loves her life in Grand Junction, attending preschool, Fellowship Church and working with Mom and Dad.
Dani Biography

Mei Xiao Qi was born in Wuchuan City, Guangdong Province, China on or about February 4th, 2001. She was abandoned at the local agricultural ministry by loving parents who wanted to provide her a better life than they were able to give her.

After a two-year quest Mei Xiao Qi and Dan and Roni were united at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, China on February 19th 2002. After much paperwork and sightseeing in China Dan, Roni and the
now, Danielle MeiXiao Welsh returned to Corvallis, Oregon with Dani as an American Citizen.