Madcap Coffee - Specialty Coffee Roaster | Unpacking Coffee [Skip to content](#main-content) [ ![Unpacking Coffee Logo](/images/cuppin-logo.svg) Unpacking Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee) [ Coffees ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees) [ Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters) [ Cuppings ](https://unpacking.coffee/cuppings) [ Recipes ](https://unpacking.coffee/recipes) [ Origins ](https://unpacking.coffee/origins) [ Log in ](https://unpacking.coffee/login) [ ](https://unpacking.coffee/login "Log in") [ Register ](https://unpacking.coffee/register) [ ](https://unpacking.coffee/register "Register") [ Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters) Madcap Coffee Madcap Coffee ============= Madcap Coffee Company is a Grand Rapids, Michigan specialty roaster founded in 2008 by Trevor Corlett, an award-winning barista and trainer. Headquartered in Grand Rapids with cafés in Grand Rapids and Detroit, Madcap supplies specialty coffee through a national wholesale program. Watch Episode Read Transcript - [ Madcap Coffee Company ](http://madcapcoffee.com/) - [ Madcap on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/madcapcoffee) - [ Designer Seth Herman ](http://sethherman.com/) - [ Designer Chuck Anderson ](http://nopattern.com/) - [ Hybrid Media on Vimeo ](https://vimeo.com/hybridmedia) ![Madcap Coffee](/storage/roaster-profiles/139/featured.jpg) THE CONVERSATION Ray: Okay. I'm Ray. I'm Ray. I'm Ray. Kandace: I'm Kandace. Ray: This is Unpacking Coffee. Today, we're talking about Madcap out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kandace: Yeah, we are. Ray: Yeah, we are. Is that how you say it? Kandace: I spent a little time in Michigan. They're big drinkers. Ray: Alcoholic? Kandace: Yeah, I think so. Also, you get 10 cents back every time you bring a can. That's the difference between leaving your cans in the recycling in the front and getting a bunch of cans, bringing it in. You can buy alcohol in the store, so you bring your cans in, and then you just go and get your tequila, and check out. Ray: Well, also, they roast coffee. Madcap was founded in 2008 by Trevor Corlett and Ryan Knapp. Kandace: They are so backed up by coffee cred and awards and championships. We had a chance to talk to Ryan Knapp, who is ... Ryan: I am Ryan Knapp. I'm one of the co-founders, and I'm currently the Director of Coffee at Madcap. At the core of what we're doing, we're finding really, really delicious coffees. Most of my time right now ... I spend about a third of the year on the road, visiting producers, tasting a lot of coffees. Then, when I'm not on the road, we're constantly cupping, sampling coffees. Last year alone, we logged over 3,000 samples that we tasted at our roastery, and that's for the 2 to 3 dozen coffees that actually make it on the menu. That's most of my time right now ... is working with that and working with the roasting team and just working a lot more with the product before it gets into the cafe. Ray: One of my favorite things about this company is that they actually got 2 other folks to partner with them to do design. Kandace: Right. Do you know their names? I do. Ray: Why don't you ... Kandace: Seth Herman and Chuck Anderson. Ryan: They have such good consistent branding, packaging ... Kandace: What is this? This is like a label? This is ... Feel it. It feels like a label from a shirt. Ray: Yeah, it's like a shirt tag. Yeah. This is super cool. You didn't have to do that. I would have loved your coffee anyway. Ryan: The designers are fantastic. They've been, I think, a huge part of taking what Trevor and I loved and taken what our craft is and based on that, and they loved it, and really reached out to us and said, "We'd love to work with you." They were a couple guys that came into the coffee bar every day and really liked what we were doing. At the time ... We had pretty low budget design for the first couple years, just something to make it work because putting all of our energy into the coffee itself. Seth Herman and then Chuck Anderson, both tremendous designers that ... It's gotten me really excited about design in general because before I was just like, "Yeah, design is just marketing; it's whatever", didn't really know that much, didn't immerse myself into it that much. Both Seth and Chuck have done an amazing job of visually communicating what we're about. In everything that they do, from the fabric patch to show that what we do, it's done by hand, it's handmade from start to finish, from the colors that we worked together to really express the vibrancy or frequency that connects with the coffee that's in that bag, to just overall the clean, minimal detail that goes into everything they do. They're brilliant, and they've been an awesome part of really building that up and expressing to more people what we're about. Kandace: We got to enjoy the Lucas Melo. They sent us the Lake Effect and the Kanzu. The Lake Effect was inspired by Michigan lakes. They have this commitment to visiting a large majority of their producers. They're really hands-on. They're travelling a lot. They're having multi-year relationships. Kanzu, I happen to know, came from our friends at Red Fox, so I think on the rare times that they're working with someone, it's someone pretty rad. Ray: You know what? I think the connection is that baristas make coffee. They make coffee. Madcap Coffee, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kandace: Definitely. Watch the Show https://vimeo.com/161428336 THE CONVERSATION Ray: Okay. I'm Ray. I'm Ray. I'm Ray. Kandace: I'm Kandace. Ray: This is Unpacking Coffee. Today, we're talking about Madcap out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kandace: Yeah, we are. Ray: Yeah, we are. Is that how you say it? Kandace: I spent a little time in Michigan. They're big drinkers. Ray: Alcoholic? Kandace: Yeah, I think so. Also, you get 10 cents back every time you bring a can. That's the difference between leaving your cans in the recycling in the front and getting a bunch of cans, bringing it in. You can buy alcohol in the store, so you bring your cans in, and then you just go and get your tequila, and check out. Ray: Well, also, they roast coffee. Madcap was founded in 2008 by Trevor Corlett and Ryan Knapp. Kandace: They are so backed up by coffee cred and awards and championships. We had a chance to talk to Ryan Knapp, who is ... Ryan: I am Ryan Knapp. I'm one of the co-founders, and I'm currently the Director of Coffee at Madcap. At the core of what we're doing, we're finding really, really delicious coffees. Most of my time right now ... I spend about a third of the year on the road, visiting producers, tasting a lot of coffees. Then, when I'm not on the road, we're constantly cupping, sampling coffees. Last year alone, we logged over 3,000 samples that we tasted at our roastery, and that's for the 2 to 3 dozen coffees that actually make it on the menu. That's most of my time right now ... is working with that and working with the roasting team and just working a lot more with the product before it gets into the cafe. Ray: One of my favorite things about this company is that they actually got 2 other folks to partner with them to do design. Kandace: Right. Do you know their names? I do. Ray: Why don't you ... Kandace: Seth Herman and Chuck Anderson. Ryan: They have such good consistent branding, packaging ... Kandace: What is this? This is like a label? This is ... Feel it. It feels like a label from a shirt. Ray: Yeah, it's like a shirt tag. Yeah. This is super cool. You didn't have to do that. I would have loved your coffee anyway. Ryan: The designers are fantastic. They've been, I think, a huge part of taking what Trevor and I loved and taken what our craft is and based on that, and they loved it, and really reached out to us and said, "We'd love to work with you." They were a couple guys that came into the coffee bar every day and really liked what we were doing. At the time ... We had pretty low budget design for the first couple years, just something to make it work because putting all of our energy into the coffee itself. Seth Herman and then Chuck Anderson, both tremendous designers that ... It's gotten me really excited about design in general because before I was just like, "Yeah, design is just marketing; it's whatever", didn't really know that much, didn't immerse myself into it that much. Both Seth and Chuck have done an amazing job of visually communicating what we're about. In everything that they do, from the fabric patch to show that what we do, it's done by hand, it's handmade from start to finish, from the colors that we worked together to really express the vibrancy or frequency that connects with the coffee that's in that bag, to just overall the clean, minimal detail that goes into everything they do. They're brilliant, and they've been an awesome part of really building that up and expressing to more people what we're about. Kandace: We got to enjoy the Lucas Melo. They sent us the Lake Effect and the Kanzu. The Lake Effect was inspired by Michigan lakes. They have this commitment to visiting a large majority of their producers. They're really hands-on. They're travelling a lot. They're having multi-year relationships. Kanzu, I happen to know, came from our friends at Red Fox, so I think on the rare times that they're working with someone, it's someone pretty rad. Ray: You know what? I think the connection is that baristas make coffee. They make coffee. Madcap Coffee, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kandace: Definitely. Watch the Show https://vimeo.com/161428336 No coffee offerings have been added for this roaster yet. Log In to Cup Log in to your account Enter your email and password to continue Email address Password Remember me Cancel Log in Need an account? [Sign up](https://unpacking.coffee/register?intended=https%3A%2F%2Funpacking.coffee%2Fcupping%2Fnew%3Froaster_id%3D139) Log In to Cup Log in to your account Enter your email and password to continue Email address Password Remember me Cancel Log in Need an account? [Sign up](https://unpacking.coffee/register?intended=https%3A%2F%2Funpacking.coffee%2Fcupping%2Fnew%3Froaster_id%3D139) 0 Coffee Offerings 0 Total Cuppings Added 1 year ago Roaster Details Website [ www.madcapcoffee.com ](https://www.madcapcoffee.com) Established 2008 Location City Grand Rapids State/Province Michigan Country United States Use filters or recent searches to refine your results. 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[ ### [ Mexico Maria Méndez ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/187-mexico-maria-mendez) by [ Heart Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/47-heart-coffee-roasters) Process Washed Varieties [Bourbon](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/9-bourbon) Country [Mexico](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/mexico) Region Chiapas Elevation 1400m First noted Aug 19, 2026 Last tasted Aug 19, 2026 1 cupping [ plum](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/10 "plum") [ almond](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/37 "almond") [ cola](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/98 "cola") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/187-mexico-maria-mendez) [ ### [ The Answer ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/186-the-answer) by [ Cat & Cloud Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/44-cat-cloud-coffee) Process Washed, Natural Elevation 1,100-1,900m Source Various First noted Aug 17, 2026 Last tasted Aug 19, 2026 2 cuppings [ chocolate](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/108 "chocolate") [ caramel](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/23 "caramel") [ fruit](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/250 "fruit") [ butterscotch](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/32 "butterscotch") [ berries](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/199 "berries") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/186-the-answer) [ ### [ Nelson Flores ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/185-nelson-flores) by [ Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/201-sweet-bloom-coffee-roasters) Process Washed Species Arabica Varieties [Pacamara](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/27-pacamara) Country [El Salvador](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/el-salvador) Region Chalatenango Elevation 1632m First noted Aug 16, 2026 0 cuppings ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/185-nelson-flores) [ ### [ Takele Mammo ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/184-takele-mammo) by [ Cat & Cloud Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/44-cat-cloud-coffee) Process Washed Varieties [Wild Heirloom Ethiopia Arabica Cultivars](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/93-wild-heirloom-ethiopia-arabica-cultivars) Country [Ethiopia](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/ethiopia) Region Yirgacheffe Elevation 1800 - 2100m Source Takele Mammo Denbi First noted Aug 14, 2026 Last tasted Aug 14, 2026 2 cuppings [ rooibos](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/249 "rooibos") [ apricot](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/4 "apricot") [ dried strawberry](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/248 "dried strawberry") [ black tea](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/65 "black tea") [ watermelon](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/111 "watermelon") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/184-takele-mammo) [ ### [ Juan Puerta Mango ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/183-juan-puerta-mango) by [ Resident Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/296-resident-coffee-roasters) Process Co-fermented and experimental (Mango) Varieties [Castillo](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/13-castillo) Country [Colombia](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/colombia) Region Quindío Elevation 1386m Source La Sirena First noted Aug 11, 2026 Last tasted Aug 11, 2026 3 cuppings [ mango](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/15 "mango") [ mango lollipop](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/246 "mango lollipop") [ fruit rollup](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/245 "fruit rollup") [ jumex mango nectar](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/247 "jumex mango nectar") [ cream](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/86 "cream") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/183-juan-puerta-mango) [ ### [ Fondo Paez ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/182-fondo-paez) by [ Amavida Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/294-amavida-coffee-roasters) Certifications Organic Country [Colombia](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/colombia) Source Fondo Paez Cooperative First noted Aug 09, 2026 Last tasted Aug 23, 2026 2 cuppings [ brown sugar](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/28 "brown sugar") [ apricot](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/4 "apricot") [ caramel](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/23 "caramel") [ black tea](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/65 "black tea") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/182-fondo-paez) [ ### [ Santa Maria ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/181-santa-maria) by [ The Boy & The Bear ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/292-the-boy-the-bear) Process Anaerobic Natural Varieties [Tabi](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/70-tabi) Country [Colombia](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/colombia) Region Santander Source Hacienda Cafetera La Pradera First noted Aug 09, 2026 Last tasted Aug 09, 2026 1 cupping [ black tea](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/65 "black tea") [ dried fig](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/138 "dried fig") [ dark chocolate](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/34 "dark chocolate") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/181-santa-maria) [ ### [ San Antonio La Paz ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/180-san-antonio-la-paz) by [ Water Avenue Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/291-water-avenue-coffee) Process Washed Varieties [Caturra](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/12-caturra), [Bourbon](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/9-bourbon), [Castillo San Ramon](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/100-castillo-san-ramon) Country [Guatemala](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/guatemala) Region Sierra de Las Minas Elevation 1200-1400m First noted Aug 05, 2026 Last tasted Aug 05, 2026 1 cupping [ orange](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/17 "orange") [ caramel](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/23 "caramel") [ black walnut syrup](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/244 "black walnut syrup") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/180-san-antonio-la-paz) [ ### [ Ethiopian Kercha ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/179-ethiopian-kercha) by [ Cat & Cloud Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/44-cat-cloud-coffee) Country [Ethiopia](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/ethiopia) Region Guji First noted Aug 03, 2026 Last tasted Aug 03, 2026 1 cupping [ milk chocolate](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/33 "milk chocolate") [ cane sugar](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/29 "cane sugar") [ vanilla](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/27 "vanilla") [ strawberry ice cream](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/243 "strawberry ice cream") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/179-ethiopian-kercha) [ ### [ Finca Santa Cruz Washed ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/178-finca-santa-cruz-washed) by [ Ritual Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/180-ritual-coffee-roasters) Process Washed Varieties [Typica](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/34-typica), [Bourbon](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/9-bourbon) Country [Mexico](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/mexico) Region Chiapas Harvest 2026 Source José And Karina Argüello First noted Jul 28, 2026 Last tasted Aug 04, 2026 3 cuppings [ chocolate](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/108 "chocolate") [ earl grey tea](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/242 "earl grey tea") [ citrus](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/110 "citrus") [ grapefruit](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/20 "grapefruit") [ lime](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/19 "lime") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/178-finca-santa-cruz-washed) [ ### [ Gamaliel Ríos Ortíz ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/177-gamaliel-rios-ortiz) by [ Ritual Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/180-ritual-coffee-roasters) Process Honey Varieties [Peñasco](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/99-penasco), [Typica](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/34-typica) Country [Mexico](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/mexico) Region Chiapas Harvest 2025 Source La Concordia First noted Jul 21, 2026 Last tasted Jul 21, 2026 1 cupping [ peach](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/3 "peach") [ citrus](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/110 "citrus") [ caramel](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/23 "caramel") [ butterscotch](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/32 "butterscotch") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/177-gamaliel-rios-ortiz) [ ### [ Finca Santa Cruz Natural ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/176-finca-santa-cruz-natural) by [ Ritual Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/180-ritual-coffee-roasters) Varieties [Geisha](https://unpacking.coffee/varieties/16-geisha) Country [Mexico](https://unpacking.coffee/origins/mexico) Region Chiapas Source Finca Santa Cruz First noted Jul 19, 2026 Last tasted Jul 19, 2026 1 cupping [ chilled red wine](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/240 "chilled red wine") [ lime](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/19 "lime") [ cacao nibs](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/241 "cacao nibs") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/176-finca-santa-cruz-natural)