The Tri-Cities drinks a lot of coffee. But none quite like this

Ryan Hatch had the future in mind when he created his Flying X coffee brand in Connell back in 2015.

Hatch was blending two careers at the time — farming alfalfa and timothy hay in Ephrata, and launching his vision of premium coffee on the other.

As he ventured into coffee, he knew he wanted to create something that would go beyond Connell, a city of 4,200 in rural Franklin County.

“Connell Cafe” wasn’t going to cut it.

Hatch had an ace up his sleeve. He comes from a family of farmers and ranchers. His grandparents raised cattle and the family retains its cattle brand: Flying X.

The actual brand became a retail one.

Last month, he fulfilled one of his original goals for Flying X — opening a premium coffee shop in the Tri-Cities. Flying X opened at 4001 Kennedy Road in West Richland, near the intersection of Bombing Range Road.

West Richland is actually his second Tri-City shop — the first is a former Rockabilly Roasting Co. spot on Pasco’s Road 68 — but it is the first to fulfill Hatch’s vision of a pure coffee-centered business, catering to people who drink coffee as much for the experience as for the caffeine hit.

Flying X backs up its premium label with pastries from Ethos Bakery, organic milk and house-made syrups, made from locally sourced fruits.

Its beans come from Heart Roasting, a Portland company that screens its customers before it will sell to them.

From Connell to Coffee

Hatch said his wife, Carrie, converted him into a coffee aficionado.

The couple met in Ephrata. He was farming. She was a school teacher, pursuing her master’s degree.

When they married, they got money for an espresso machine. A “research nerd,” Hatch said he spent two years studying the best machines.

But for all the effort, he was disappointed that his home setup couldn’t match what he drank in the better coffee houses.

The couple moved to Connell when Carrie secured a job with the North Franklin School District. Hatch commuted to his farm and made plans to finish school.

He envisioned a job at Hanford.

But Connell lacked a good coffee spot and Hatch felt the absence. When a spot being run as a side business became available, he jumped in, funding his start-up with proceeds from his farming business and help from his dad.

He started with low-cost gear and plowed profits back into the business. He thought his farming background would translate into running the business.

“It didn’t,” he said.

Selling Connell on premium coffee was a challenge, he said. Flying X didn’t have a drive-thru and its customers weren’t looking for premium coffee.

Still, they dropped in.

“We were the only gig in town,” he joked.

Hatch gave up his farm not long after. A flash flood struck the farm while he was at the shop.

When he couldn’t get back fast enough to halt the damage, he knew he needed to make a choice. He chose coffee and his brother took over the farm.

Expansion time

Hatch’s first chance to expand to the Tri-Cities arrived in 2017.

Travis Jordan, owner of Kennewick’s Rockabilly Roasting Co., had opened a shop on Pasco’s Road 68. But he wanted to concentrate on roasting.

When asked Hatch to purchase it, he jumped again.

He bought the business, including the building and equipment, and the took over the land lease.

Road 68 wasn’t the shop of his dreams. Rockabilly had a strong following and Hatch left the model intact. He saw it as a chance to enter a profitable market.

“I thought it would get me to my goals faster,” he said.

By 2017, Flying X was drawing attention. An investor was interested in helping Hatch expand.

The deal didn’t go anywhere, but the experience gave Hatch the confidence to move ahead on his own.

Two years ahead of his five-year schedule, he leased the space at the end of a strip mall in West Richland. It’s distant from the center of the Tri-Cities, but the rent was reasonable and the area is rich in residential neighborhoods and schools.

With help from friends, he rebuilt the interior with a clean black-and-white color scheme — pushing his quality-first mission. The family “Flying X” brand hangs on the wall.

Like its peer, The Local, Flying X aims to educate Tri-City coffee lovers about the complexity of the roasted bean.

The right roaster can draw out unique notes. The shop is serving beans with a strong note of concord grape.

The bean gives him a chance to get playful with coffee drinks, even creating fruity ones.

“We get to experience with cool drinks that people wouldn’t think of,” he said.

The new space includes a drive-thru, but Hatch said that doesn’t defeat the premium brand.

“If you want to get new customers, you have to meet them somewhere. That’s the drive-thru,” he said.

After opening three businesses in four years, Hatch said he has no plans to add a fourth location until he’s absorbed the growth. The three shops employ 10.

Business hour are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.

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This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 12:41 PM.