Roasters Coffee takeover begins after Oregon chain buys them out

An Oregon coffee chain has begun its takeover of the Roasters Coffee shops in the Tri-Cities.

Black Rock Coffee Bar bought the local caffeine supplier earlier this year and has started switching them to the Black Rock brand.

Derek Tonn, who was Roasters’ president and CEO and now as Black Rock’s vice president for Eastern Washington, told the Herald in April that the coffee companies shared a similar concept so the transition should be easy on customers.

He said the sale was finalized in January for an undisclosed price, and Black Rock planned a methodical approach to transitioning the Roasters brand to ensure there are no service disruptions. Black Rock expected to keep Roasters employees.

Roasters was launched by Wes Heyden in 2009 with a stand in the Pasco Red Lion Hotel parking lot — just a year after the first Black Rock opened in Beaverton, Ore.

Roasters now has a dozen locations in Tri-Cities with another in Walla Walla and one in Airway Heights.

Heyden stepped down from all leadership and operational duties last June and Tonn, a former Battelle financial specialist, was hired to take over operations for him. Tonn also recently partnered with his son Dylan to become franchise owners of two Jersey Mike’s sandwich restaurants in Tri-Cities.

At the time, Tonn said Black Rock was excited for the chance to buy a chain that was well established in a market that fit their expansion goals.

Black Rock Coffee has 80 locations, with a dozen already in Washington — all in the Vancouver area. While most of the outlets are in the West, a handful are in Texas.