Three Oaks Roasting Grows in N.C. with Broad River Acquisition

Inside the new Three Oaks roasting production headquarters in Shelby, North Carolina. All images courtesy of Three Oaks Roasting.

Three Oaks Roasting is spreading its roots deeper throughout the Charlotte, North Carolina, area through its recent acquisition of Broad River Roasters in Shelby.

Three Oaks more than tripled its production capacity when it relocated its 10- and 6-kilogram Mill City Roasters machines to Broad River’s larger production facility, where 3- and 30-kilogram Mill City machines were already in place. 

“It’s becoming a Mill City Roasters showroom,” Three Oaks Co-Founder and Head Roaster Sean Johnson jokingly told Daily Coffee News. “It’s a big step forward in capacity while still allowing us to maintain flexibility for small-batch roasting.”

The acquisition combines contrasting sourcing and roasting strategies. While Broad River has focused on approachable, classic profiles emphasizing balance and familiarity, Three Oaks seeks out interesting varieties and post-harvest processing methods.

“It’s a really complementary blend of roasting philosophies, and we’re excited to bring them together,” Three Oaks Roasting Co-Founder Janae Johnson told DCN.

Beyond increased production, Three Oaks is developing wholesale support resources such as espresso machine service and repair, roaster training and Barista Breakthrough, a program to train people for coffee shop employment.

Late last year, Three Oaks opened its first retail location inside The Wine Collective in Shelby. Initially called The Coffee Lab, it was renamed Press Coffee Lounge earlier this year.

“Our bar is built for craft and conversation,” Janae Johnson said. “One of our favorite details is a playful sign that reads, ‘What’s happening at Press? Not a Latte.’ It’s a nod to the fact that, while we roast for coffee shops and mobile baristas across the region who specialize in lattes, Press is about something different, slowing down, savoring and celebrating coffee in its purest forms.”

Curated tastings at the shop involve French press and pourover brews, cold brew from a Kyoto tower and espresso from a small machine, along with seed-to-cup education and pairings with local food and retail items.

The Johnsons founded the roasting company in Charlotte as Midwood Coffee Roasters in 2021, starting with a 2-kilogram Bideli roaster and drawing on Sean Johnson’s experience roasting for a popular Charlotte coffee house.

“Our micro   has been very small but it has been the perfect place to break into the production roasting arena, refine our sourcing and develop roast profiles,” Sean said. “With the Broad River acquisition, we’re stepping into a much larger and commercial space, and a whole new level of capacity.”

The Johnsons moved to Shelby and rebranded as Three Oaks in 2024, expanding production while buying microlot coffees directly from farmers when possible.

Broad River Roasters has been family-run since entrepreneur Seth Stevens founded it in Shelby in 2002. In 2021, Broad River absorbed direct-trade-focused Farmers First Coffee, then expanded roasting capacity last year before seeking new ownership.

As the Broad River brand sunsets, Three Oaks will continue to offer its signature roasts while expanding into new origins and limited offerings.

“Our focus right now is on ensuring a smooth transition for customers and scaling responsibly into the expanded facility,” Janae said. “At the same time, we’re deepening our investments in relationships at origin.”

[Note: This story has been updated. The previous version incorrectly identified Three Oaks Roasting’s name as Midland Coffee Roasters. The name was actually Midwood Coffee Roasters.]

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