Bare Roots Roasting putting "neighborhood" back into the coffee shop in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Little did Nikki and Justin Foskett know that their planned grand opening of Bare Roots Artisan Coffee Roasting Company would come on the day the pandemic shut everything down.

They didn't despair though, and spent the down time roasting beans, expanding their menu and putting everything they sell online for all to enjoy. Opening a new business is always tough, exciting and stressful, but COVID-19 added a whole lot of unknowns to the picture.

"Shipping beans helped keep us afloat," said Justin. Once they were able to open, curbside pickup became popular and he'd run orders out to cars. He and his wife have also created online pre-orders so people can schedule a pickup for the next morning or days ahead.

Justin said he developed a passion for coffee when he was 18-years-old and was a "Folgers" guy. He was later introduced to his grandmother's espresso machine while helping her with her fruit groves. She made him a cup of mocha, and he was hooked. "I got a lot of work done that day," said Justin.

When he injured his back six years ago he turned that passion into a profession. He attended coffee roasting school and the dream of opening a neighborhood coffee shop was born.

Bare Roots started as an Etsy store where one pound bags were roasted and sold.

"I decided I could open a good coffee shop in Tahoe, roast beans and serve the community," said Justin. "I want to be the neighborhood roaster where people come to hang out."

The Fosketts moved to South Lake Tahoe two years ago and now live in the Tahoe Sierra neighborhood, just a short walk from Bare Roots. Justin's family had a home in Meyers when he was growing up so he'd fallen in love with the area long before making the move.

The couple has six children ages 15-25. Their son Brendan, 17, has taken an interest in roasting and helps out in the store. Nikki also works for Lakeside Park Water District so they keep busy. Nikki said she also makes sure they have down time and enjoys the beaches and hiking trails around Lake Tahoe.

As the county starts to lift restrictions on occupancy in the shop, Justin has plans to start offering "cuppings". Designed much like a wine tasting, people will taste the different coffees and try and figure out what the notes of the beans are...chocolate, fruit, nut, spice, herbs or any of the other few dozen choices.

They offer coffee cups, logo hats and shirts, and mugs created by Alpine Laserworks, but they've also started adding local artwork for sale inside Bare Roots. Once inside occupancy expands they'd like to start having art shows and an open mic night. Their next door business neighbor is artist Scott Forrest, the owner of a fine art studio that carries his name. They've also started to team up with the new gym across the street and offering each other's customers benefits.

Nikki said using organic fair trade products, locally sourced when possible is important to them, just as using plant-based biodegradable containers for their products.

"We love where we live and don't want our products to have a negative impact on the environment," said Nikki.

When they first re-opened local chiropractor Josh Welch started a pay-it-forward campaign at Bare Roots. He'd prepay for unknown customer's coffees, many of those people then preparing for the next customers, and so on.

"One day we had 30 free coffees given out by paying it forward," said Justin.

Bare Roots Artisan Coffee Roasting Company is located at 2572 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Suite 3. They are open Monday-Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Information can be found and orders made on their website, https://www.barerootscoffeetahoe.com/. They have Facebook and Instagram as well. Besides coffee they offer loose leaf teas, CBD flavored coffee drops, treats and there is never an extra charge for non-dairy milks.