PRODUCER PROFILE:
LAUGHING DUCK COFFEE
Guest Writer: Sally Zalac
Sipping morning coffee pond-side, chuckling Mallards and Wood Ducks inspired Ted Field to name his new company Laughing Duck Coffee. After their kids graduated from college, Ted and his wife, Liz, left their Bay Area home in California to settle on Bainbridge Island and pursue Ted’s longtime interest in coffee roasting. It makes sense that a passion for coffee would lead the Fields to an area rife with coffee aficionados.
Kitsap Fresh’s mission to support small farms and producers gave Ted an opportunity to take his burgeoning business to another level. Graduating from roasting green beans in a popcorn popper at home, Ted now uses a professional machine in a nearby co-roasting facility. I met Ted in a dark blue industrial park building, not far from his Island home. Not only is he able to collaborate with another coffee producer, he can better focus on producing various roasts he feels others will enjoy.
I was particularly intrigued by Laughing Duck’s sugarcane decaffeination process. Originating in Columbia, where both sugarcane and coffee grow in abundance, this technique produces a natural compound from molasses fermentation. It washes caffeine from green coffee beans, imparting more flavor than plain water and avoiding the use of harsh chemicals. I must admit my husband’s morning cup of Missing Feathers Decaf had far more coffee flavor than his usual brand. Personally, I prefer Ted’s Dark Feathered Friend dark roast. I’m sure that a coffee for most every palate can be found at Laughing Duck Coffee.
Sally Zalac is a valued customer and volunteer for Kitsap Fresh. She has a passion for local farms, organic food and regenerative farming.
Kitsap Fresh 