Our story
A roastery that started in a garage two blocks off Main Street.
Ford & Oak is owned and operated by Derrick Demond Ford and a crew of three. We roast every bag ourselves, in small batches, on a 1971 Probat we bought used out of a closed shop in Birmingham and rebuilt over a long winter.
Why we do this
Good coffee in a small town shouldn't be a road trip.
Homer is a town of about three thousand people, halfway between Shreveport and the Arkansas line. When Derrick moved back after culinary school in Houston, the nearest specialty cup was an hour-fifteen drive in either direction. Bayou Sunrise was the answer to that.
We're proudly part of the downtown association, sponsor the Claiborne Parish 4-H every spring, and keep our hiring local — every face behind the counter lives within ten minutes of the shop.
The roastery itself is open to the public. Tuesdays and Fridays from 8 to noon you can watch the Probat run from a stool by the window. We'll talk your ear off if you ask.
A timeline
Six years, one block, one Probat.
2017
Derrick brings a five-kilo Diedrich home, sets it up in the garage on Pearl Street, and starts giving bags away at the Claiborne Parish farmers' market.
2019
The lease comes up on the old Phillips Hardware building at 507 N 6th. We sign a five-year, knock down a wall, and open the café in October.
2021
Patricia joins as head roaster. We add the Probat UG-15 and bump production to two roast days a week.
2023
Direct trade partnership signed with the Bermudez family in Huila — our first time buying greens straight from a single farm.
2024
The Shreveport Quarterly names Bayou Sunrise the best blend in north Louisiana. We sell out for three weeks.
Sourcing
Six origin partners we know by name.
We buy direct from three farms — the Bermudez family in Huila, Bella Vista Estate in Antigua, and Worka Sakaro in Yirgacheffe — and round out the menu with three lots from a small importer in New Orleans who shares our notion of paying farmers properly.
Every contract we sign pays well above the C-market price. We publish the farm-gate price on the back of every direct-trade bag.
Owner & roaster
Derrick Demond Ford
Born and raised in Homer. Trained at the Houston Culinary Institute. Has opinions about Brazilian naturals.
Head roaster
Patricia Boudreaux
Joined in 2021 from a roastery in Lafayette. Runs the Tuesday roast and keeps the Probat in good shape.
Café lead
Marcus Thibodeaux
Pulls espresso, trains the bar, manages the morning rush. Recommends Antigua Pastoral with cream.
Come watch a roast.
The Probat runs Tuesdays and Fridays from 8 to noon. Pull up a stool, ask questions, take a green bean home if you like.