Josh & Sara Holmquist purchased Normal Roasting Company in March 2017. Back then, it was just Sara in a garage, roasting coffee while their kids were at school. Sara was learning all about coffee as much as she could, and starting an occasional roaster fire in the chaff bin (an occupational hazard).

Their next major move was to create a dedicated roastery on the town square of Burwell, Nebraska, where we still roast every single batch of coffee. With the interior down to studs, Josh & Sara were the ones with the vision of what the space could become one day.

Fast forward to the summer of 2020, when another dream finally came alive with the opening of the Normal Coffee Lab, the coffee shop in the front of the roastery. It's a space intentionally designed for the community to gather, while curating the art and science of coffee behind the bar.

Now, Normal has expanded beyond the early startup days of Josh & Sara filling every role. The Normal Crew now hosts head roaster Josh Uden, executive assistant Libby Kirschner, and phenomenal support from more Normal humans behind the bar and in the roastery.