Coffee shops may seem like they are on every corner, but beyond the chain stores there are many local craft coffee spots that offer a unique, more personal experience. The family-run Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters has three locations — including Rochester and Royal Oak shops in Oakland County and a shop in downtown Detroit.

Dessert Oasis owner Nathan Hamood says there isn’t a job that he would ever ask his staff to do that he wouldn’t do himself. From buying coffee, roasting coffee, training employees, quality control, and day-to-day administrative work, Hamood spends countless hours, dedicated to providing a community experience and a focus on a craft that, according to him, “you don’t get at a large coffee chain.”

Hamood answers the following questions about Dessert Oasis’ origins and their growth in Oakland County:

Q: How did you get started in the craft coffee business?

A: I’ve been in the business more than 10 years and am extremely passionate about craft coffee. I started experimenting with coffee roasting techniques in a small rotisserie oven when I was 13 years old. It’s in my blood. I am also incredibly passionate about business and am extremely driven to do it in a responsible way that creates value and opportunity for people, from our customers and team to the businesses and farmers we work with.

Q: How did Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters get started?

A: We got our start as a small shop in a slow corner of Rochester in 2009. The original intent was for this to be a side business that the family would run together, and give people in the community a place to gather, enjoy desserts and support local musicians playing live music in the evenings, as well as provide musicians an alternative place to play outside of the traditional bar setting. As time went on, I became increasingly passionate about craft coffee and convinced my family to let me start roasting our own coffee. From there, we began to grow steadily both in knowledge and size, evolving our business model into what it is today. In 2014, we opened our second location (in Detroit). Since then, we’ve continued to grow and scale the business, and opened a third location in Royal Oak, with plans to continue our bootstrapped growth.

Q: What makes Dessert Oasis unique in the coffee business?

A: I think it’s the attention to detail in all things, from our coffee to our service, and a general unity of our team in our spirit, mission and culture that contributes to what makes our company so special.

Q: What do you enjoy about being a business owner in Oakland County?

A: Oakland County is a dynamic community and the people have always been extremely supportive. There is just this general feeling of community and togetherness that has always felt incredibly powerful to me and our entire team.

Q: What are you most proud of?

A: Taking the risk of opening a second Oakland County location in Royal Oak. We had no funding, no backing, and ultimately were still incredibly small as a business and it was a tremendous risk. But, just like with the opening of our Detroit location, we were incredibly motivated to just dive in and make it work.

Q: What challenges has COVID-19 brought to your business and how are you adjusting?

A: I think in the long-term, this situation presents an opportunity to think more about how we can elevate communications and relationships with our customers, create a more resilient business operation and supply chain, and build more focus on health and well-being. In fact, Gov. Whitmer just visited our Rochester location on Monday to sit down and get our perspective on how we have been able to successful manage during the pandemic, learn more about our best practices, and understand obstacles local businesses still face in our county.

For more information, visit docr.coffee.

— Submitted by Marx Layne & Co.