By Amy DeBiasi
General Manager, Birdie Books
April 15, 2026

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If there's one guiding principle that really defines Birdie Books, it's intentionality. So, when we settled on creating a cozy space where people could curl up with a good book and a cup of coffee, finding the absolute best source for that coffee became incredibly important to us. Even more so because we hope you'll stay awhile, converse, and maybe feel a bit of nostalgia for a time when "be kind, rewind" was a moral imperative (but not so far back when a coffee order just meant regular or decaf).

For our longtime customers who know us well, this is pretty on-brand-we never just jump into something without carefully reviewing all the details, which is why things sometimes take us a bit longer (and thank you for your patience on that). But if I've learned anything from Paulo Coelho, it's that the process matters just as much, if not more, than the destination.

As we invite you into our cozy space, I feel it's absolutely necessary to highlight one of our most important relationships in this endeavor: the collaboration between Birdie Books and One Line Coffee. We're honored to partner with One Line, whose thoughtful, methodical, and ethical approach to coffee aligns so perfectly with our values.

When Dave and Mark Forman, father and son duo, formed One Line Coffee in 2003, it was very much in the way Birdie Books was born; in an old structure (so much character!), with a passion for something, and a desire to share it with the community. What began as a single coffee house in Granville, Ohio, with a laid-back approach to learning the industry, quickly gained momentum, so much so that they became a roaster within just a few years. Today, the company has grown to include three One Line coffee shops and numerous partner cafes.

Mark and Dave Forman, and sister, Stacey Forman Donnelly who also joined in 2013

What drew us to One Line, however, was their process. Often, we see companies lose sight of the bigger picture as they grow. This hasn't been the case with One Line. The name alone speaks to the essence of the company. They say the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Turns out, this applies to supply chains as well.

From origin to cafe, One Line is present and involved, making choices for the betterment of all invested in the process, and creating a product that has been meticulously crafted.

Large coffee roasters often focus on large-scale farms already present in the industry, with an already existent import/export system in place. What gets lost in that shuffle is good communication, quality, and an understanding of the conditions the farmers face. One Line focuses on small producers who often get overlooked. These farmers frequently grow the highest quality coffee beans, but end up undercompensated. By traveling to these countries, spanning the globe from Africa to South America and beyond (I just had an image of Buzz Lightyear, did you?), the One Line team gets to speak face-to-face with farmers and really build genuine relationships.

Being on site lets them see the day-to-day operations, which helps ensure their requests are ethical and that they're getting a super high-quality bean. To quote One Line directly: "If all parts of a supply chain aren't beneficial to all the people and land involved, then the end product is not sustainable."

Visiting these growers means getting to see everything - what variety the farmer has chosen, how it's being cultivated, how the berries are harvested and processed, even the makeup of the soil itself. Their knowledge about what goes into producing an amazing coffee bean is truly astounding! Honestly, I got a little giddy watching Eric from One Line using a refractometer to measure the TDS (see how fancy that sounds?!), that's Total Dissolved Solids, by the way.

Not everyone appreciates the extensive profiling involved in roasting coffee (we see you over there with your instant crystals), but trust us, this process has so many precise steps it could give Breaking Bad a run for its money. From density to moisture and everything in between, the team obsesses over perfecting each roast, all while keeping things organic. Since 2014, One Line has been Certified Organic by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association.

I could go on and on about One Line's philanthropic endeavors, too, but I'm staying optimistic that this article has already sent you to their website, where you've probably discovered their Smallholder Project Fund. Either way, we're so excited to be serving and selling such high-quality coffee from such awesome high-quality people, so stop in!

Meet our coffee supplier: One Line Coffee!

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