From Coffee to Conservation: UM Alum Pursues Passions with Family Business

Growing up on a historic homestead along Jackson Creek east of Bozeman, Ben Weyer knows his childhood was special. He remembers time spent fishing the creek with his brother and helping his parents with their small business, Yellowstone Coffee Roasters. 

“I feel so, so fortunate for my experiences as a kid,” said Weyer.

Nowadays, the University of Montana alumnus is building on the magic of his childhood and keeping the coffee roasting at his family’s property. He serves as Yellowstone Coffee Roaster’s head of coffee and outreach. That role involves everything from sourcing and roasting coffee to managing operations.

Weyer wasn’t always interested in getting involved in the family business. He graduated high school and moved to Missoula to play for the Griz and study pre-med. But it was more than football and the promise of an education drawing him west.  

“One of the main reasons for going to Missoula was the community,” he said. “It was a gut feeling that I wanted to be a part of that community.”

A knee injury took Weyer off the football field and into doctor’s offices and hospital rooms. Countless hours spent getting treatment dissuaded him from a career in medicine. He pivoted to earn a degree in philosophy.

After graduating, he spent time working alongside his parents and saw how his skill set might benefit the company. That time also allowed him to reflect on his own connection to the business and the meaning it held for his family.

“I got to watch them start this whole thing,” he said. “I watched them work so much and so hard, but still find time for their family.”

Community is key to the company’s mission, and for Weyer the UM community has played a vital part in his own journey.

“Having people who believe in you and what you’re working toward and understand where you’re coming from – having that support network has been so important for me,” he said.

Weyer said he left UM equipped with a diversity of knowledge and an open-minded worldview that he consistently draws upon. And now the Grizzly community gets to share in his success. Visitors to campus can find Yellowstone Coffee brewing in the Gilkey Center, which houses UM’s Admissions Office.

Living in Missoula also allowed Weyer to lean into his love for fishing. He spent much of his free time casting a line on Rock Creek. The impressive terrain of western Montana started to assert a deeper influence on him.

“My time in Missoula ignited a real passion for outdoor recreation and conservation and preservation,” he said. 

Weyer is bringing that passion to the coffee business. Each year, Yellowstone Coffee roasts a coffee in partnership with a nonprofit. Their Deep Creek roast was recently on store shelves, with a dollar from every bag sold going to Trout Unlimited. 

Outside of his business responsibilities, Weyer finds time to nurture that love for Montana’s wild places. After wrapping up a tour of Yellowstone Coffee’s office and roastery this summer, he joined friends for a multiday float on the Yellowstone River. 

It’s hard to imagine a better way to enjoy the state’s spectacular landscapes than with a quality cup of coffee in hand.