A Spokane couple, Deborah Di Bernardo and Jim Haynes, have started a coffee roasting and wholesale business named Roast House LLC.

Di Bernardo says the couple has hired David Rier, who previously worked for Thomas Hammer Coffee Roasters, of Spokane, as Roast House's roast master. Di Bernardo also previously worked for Thomas Hammer, as a wholesale sales manager.

Roast House is located at 423 E. Cleveland, a couple of blocks northeast of the intersection of Ruby Street and North Foothills Drive. Di Bernardo says the business occupies about 1,700 square feet of leased space, and initially will employ just herself, Haynes, and Rier.

Roast House's first major customer is the new Main Market Co-op, at 44 W. Main, downtown, which opened last week, Di Bernardo says. Roast House will make five different private-label coffees for Main Market, with plans to expand to eight such coffees, she says.

Roast House is looking for more grocery stores, markets, restaurants, coffee houses, and other retail customers, ideally in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area, Di Bernardo says. The business has a Web site at www.roasthouse.net.

The business gets its coffee beans from Central America, Africa, South America, Indonesia, and other locations near the equator, she says.

Roast House bought a coffee roaster from Diedrich Manufacturing Inc., of Sandpoint, Idaho, Di Bernardo says.

Jim Orcutt, of NAI Black, of Spokane, handled the lease of the new coffee roasting company's location, Orcutt says.

The owners of Roast House were required to get an air-quality permit from the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, says Lisa Woodard, a spokeswoman for the agency.