HAMILTON — While one mega-coffee chain announces it will be closing stores, a local one has decided to get roasting.

Steve Schmitt, owner of three Cappuccino Depot shops in the Hamilton area, said deciding to roast his own coffee did not just ensure freshness, but also business survival in a tough market.

"By starting to roast our own coffee, I was able to open a retail and wholesale coffee business," he said. "I cut $20,000 a year in coffee costs and opened another avenue of this business I was not taking advantage of before."

And customers benefit from fresher coffees, which are roasted to perfection several times a week at Schmitt's store in Millville.

He allows his Colombian roastto cook just long enough to get the water out to maintain the flavor. Schmitt's espresso roasts until the oils are released for a dark, strong flavor.

Schmitt's shops offer six different single origin coffees and five different blends, including the Cappuccino Depot House Blend — a mixture of South American, Central American and Indonesian beans roasted at two different temperatures and then blended.

"Each bean has a different characteristic and that is what we try to highlight," he said.

The shops offer customers daily samples so they can try different coffees and choose the one to call their own.

"People who use to buy it by the cup now have started buying it by the bag and brewing it at home," Schmitt said.

Roasting via his own micro-brewery also allows him to fill smaller orders for restaurants and churches easier than larger roasters, he said.

"We have the freshness and the prices you can't get anywhere else," he said. "We're local and we're more able to cater to a person's particular needs."