Small roastery. Big respect for the bean.
Befona Coffee is a family-run, small-batch roaster in Arcadia, Florida, owned by Wesley Brazell. We import, roast and ship Ethiopian specialty coffee — and we do all of it ourselves.
From a kitchen popcorn popper to a 12 lb drum.
Wesley Brazell grew up in DeSoto County, where coffee mostly meant a can from the grocery store. That changed with a bag of Ethiopian Sidama a friend brought back from a trip — it tasted like blueberries, and it made no sense.
What followed was years of home roasting: first in a popcorn popper on the back porch, then in a small electric roaster, and eventually in a rented corner of a warehouse. Friends started asking for bags. Then their friends did. In time, the hobby needed a name, a license and a proper roaster.
The name Befona comes from the Ethiopian producers whose coffees started it all, and whose Bensa farms still supply our core single origins. Our job in Florida is simple: protect what they grew, roast it carefully and get it to you while it still tastes alive.
A few chapters so far.
Nothing about Befona happened fast — and we like it that way.
The porch roaster
First batches roasted 100 grams at a time, given away to neighbors in exchange for honest feedback.
Meeting the producers
Direct conversations with growers in Bensa, Sidama lead to our first import of washed and natural lots.
The Arcadia roastery
A 12 lb drum roaster, a proper cupping table and a warehouse on Asbury Street. Befona becomes a registered Florida business.
Shipping nationwide
Nine coffees, two roast days a week, local cafe partners and customers from Key West to Seattle.
Our values, in plain words.
Pay fairly, buy consistently
We pay quality premiums for the lots we buy and return to the same producers year after year. Stable relationships matter more than chasing the latest micro-lot.
Roast for flavor, not for shelf life
Lighter roasts for single origins, honest development for blends, and never anything burnt to hide a bad bean.
Waste less
Chaff and burlap go to local gardeners and farms. Our shipping boxes are recycled cardboard and paper tape.
Answer every message
A real person reads every email and picks up the phone. Usually it's Wesley.
Be transparent
Origin, process, altitude and roast date are printed on every bag. If we don't know something, we say so.
Stay local
We work with DeSoto County printers, packaging suppliers and cafes whenever we can.
Wesley Brazell
Founder, head roaster and the voice on the phone.
Wesley runs every part of Befona: sourcing, roasting, quality control and customer service. He has spent years training his palate at the cupping table, and he still roasts every single batch himself.
"I want people to taste the difference between coffee that was roasted last week and coffee that was roasted last year. Once you taste it, you can't go back."
- Call(447) 251-9034
Come say hello.
Visits and local pickup by appointment, Monday to Saturday. Call ahead and we will put the kettle on.