About Backroom
The Best Things Begin in the Backroom.
Backroom Coffee Roasters was born from two things that have been part of our world for a very long time: bicycles and really good coffee.
The coffee company itself began in 2010, with a small coffee roaster tucked into the back room of a bicycle shop in Columbus, Ohio.
But the story behind Backroom started decades earlier.
Long before there was a Biker Blend, a coffee roaster or even a Backroom to roast in, there were bicycles, races, long days on the road and an obsession with finding little ways to get better.
That mindset never really went away.
Today, Backroom operates from our roastery in Galena, Ohio, where we roast in small batches, develop custom coffees, work with retailers and wholesale partners, and help organizations across the country turn coffee into meaningful fundraising.
The business has evolved.
The philosophy hasn't.
1984 — Where It Started
The Ride Started Long Before the Coffee.
In 1984, after watching cycling at the Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games, a young teenager named Trent Lundberg got on his bike and started racing.
What followed was far more than a passing interest. Over the years that followed, Trent competed throughout the United States, raced as part of the 7-Eleven Development Program, won multiple Ohio State Championships and the 1986 National Prestige Championship, in addition to training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Racing taught lessons that would follow him long after the finish line: preparation matters, details matter, consistency matters—and improvement is never really finished.
Those ideas eventually found their way into Backroom Coffee Roasters.
But Trent's racing career also set something else in motion. It inspired his family to create one of the most remarkable chapters in Ohio cycling history.
1986–1990 — The AtoZ Cycling Classic
A Family Idea That Grew Into a National Stage.
Trent's racing career soon became about more than his own results. Inspired by his early years in the sport, his family created the AtoZ Cycling Classic in 1986.
Over the next five years, the event grew into a major fixture in American bicycle racing, bringing elite professional and amateur competitors to the streets of Athens, Ohio.
The race-day rosters became a remarkable snapshot of cycling history, with riders including Greg LeMond, Alexi Grewal and Lance Armstrong, alongside teams such as 7-Eleven and Coors Light.
What began with one young rider's passion ultimately became a family undertaking that brought world-class cycling to a small Ohio town.
It also reinforced an idea that would surface again decades later at Backroom: big things can begin in unlikely places.
From the Archive
The AtoZ Cycling Classic, On Film.
The official race production captures the riders, teams, crowds and energy that made the AtoZ Cycling Classic such an important chapter in our family's cycling history—and in the story that ultimately led to Backroom.
2010 — Back to the Backroom
The Bike Shop Closed. The Coffee Kept Going.
In 2010, the next chapter began in a much smaller setting: a coffee roaster tucked into the back room of a bicycle shop in Columbus, Ohio.
What started as a small-batch roasting operation gradually developed a following of its own. When the bicycle shop eventually closed, the coffee business kept going.
Backroom later found a new home in Galena, Ohio, where the same approach still guides the work today: roast carefully, pay attention to the details and keep finding ways to make the next batch better than the last.
Today, Backroom roasts for individual customers, retailers and wholesale partners, develops custom coffees and helps organizations across the country raise meaningful dollars through coffee.
The surroundings have changed. The idea behind Backroom hasn't.
Meet the Team
The People Behind the Backroom.
Trent Lundberg
Owner
When Backroom Coffee Roasters' founder accepted a job opportunity in Colorado, longtime friend Trent Lundberg stepped in to keep the roaster turning and carry Backroom forward. With a love of fresh-roasted coffee and a lifelong passion for cycling, Trent was a natural fit for the next chapter of the business.
Today, Trent oversees Backroom's operations and works to grow relationships with customers, retailers, wholesale partners and community organizations. A particular focus has become Backroom's coffee fundraising platform, helping schools, teams and nonprofits raise meaningful dollars through fresh-roasted coffee.
The competitive mindset that shaped Trent's years in cycling still influences the way he approaches Backroom: keep improving, pay attention to the details and never assume the work is finished.
Away from the roastery, Trent enjoys mountain biking, exotic cars, live music and finding a great restaurant.
Dow Kerns
Roastery Team
A Columbus native, Dow Kerns took a scenic route to the roasting room. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in environmental science, he headed west to Jackson, Wyoming, where he served as environmental supervisor for the Grand Teton Lodge Company.
After several years in the Rockies, Dow returned home to Columbus and eventually joined Backroom Coffee Roasters. He quickly became an important part of the day-to-day operation, helping keep the coffee roasting, the beans moving and the roastery running.
Dow brings his own perspective, personality and sense of humor to Backroom, along with an appreciation for doing things well without taking everything too seriously.
Away from the roaster, Dow enjoys skiing, cooking, ice hockey and ’70s rock.
Good Coffee Can Go a Long Way.
From the back room of a bicycle shop to cups across the country, we still believe the best things happen when quality, consistency and a little persistence come together.