There’s always something brewing in the Tommie Shop. Mannequins dressed in purple Tommie attire showing off the latest and greatest merch, shelves that hold eye-catching University of St. Thomas-branded mugs and, now, behind the counter, are brown paper bags holding the Tommie Blend and a sign beside them describing the contents.
Tommie Blend is a whole bean coffee the University of St. Thomas created in collaboration with the local St. Paul, Minnesota, business Roots Roasting. This unique blend launched this fall and is exclusively available to purchase at the campus stores in St. Paul and Minneapolis.
The blend availability is “a super exciting opportunity,” said Angie Cameron, the director of campus stores. She was among the St. Thomas representatives who sat down with Roots Roasting owner Pete Poire-Odegard to review the numerous blends he brewed. There was something special about the one they chose.
“Pete, the owner of Roots Roasting, described our blend as light and balanced with loads of fruit, nut and chocolate,” Brenna Keil ’26 said. The beans are roasted on the lighter side of medium and are a 50-50 Brazilian and Ethiopian blend.
Keil is one of two Opus College of Business students majoring in marketing management who intern at the campus store. The other intern is Clara Mattson ’27, who’s studying marketing management. They promote the product by word of mouth and through social media.
“We wanted our Tommie community to have their very own blend; just something special to make in the mornings or while they study late at night,” Mattson said. “We wanted to put something out there that everyone could enjoy.”
There may be more St. Thomas blends at different roast levels.
“We hope this brings a little extra flavor to campus life and look forward to introducing more seasonal blends down the road,” Cameron said. “Our coffee is roasted locally in small batches, giving us the flexibility to create new blends.”
Poire-Odegard is happy to share his blends with St. Thomas. His connections and admiration for St. Thomas date back to his father, Dan Odegard, and stepfather, Jerry Cromer-Poire who both received multiple degrees from St. Thomas.
“I grew up about a mile from campus and took many bike rides with family around it during summers growing up,” Poire-Odegard said.
Roots Roasting has a dedicated focus on sustainability, which aligns with St. Thomas’ mission.
"Most of our offerings are sourced from a local importer, reducing our carbon footprint and supporting local business,” Roots Roasting states on its website.
