Dynamite’s café offsets 50% of electricity use, while the production facility produces surplus energy, supporting growth and long-term sustainability.

Executive Summary

Dynamite Roasting Company, a beloved local coffee roaster in Black Mountain, NC, is marking a major sustainability milestone: five years since both of its locations began their transition to solar-powered operations. What began with a rooftop array at their café in 2019 expanded seamlessly to the production roastery, with installation completed in November 2020 and the system going live in February 2021. (Learn more about their early story of transitioning to solar here.)

For co-founder Andy Gibbon, solar wasn’t a branding decision or a marketing move; it was simply a continuation of what Dynamite had always stood for. As the numbers began to roll in at the new roastery, it became clear just how closely aligned sustainability and smart business could be. By the time the system was commissioned in early 2021, Dynamite was “producing about 10 times the amount of power that we consume,” powering roasting equipment, lights, HVAC, and even their electric delivery van. Several employees charge their EVs at the roastery too, powered entirely by the panels above them.

Solar quickly became more than a utility shift; it became an integral part of their identity. “It plays into who we are as a business… it works for us on so many levels,” Andy explained. For a local roaster built around community values, being able to pair environmental responsibility with real financial resilience felt like a confirmation that they were on the right track.

Project Background

Since opening in 2008, Dynamite Roasting Company has built its reputation around sustainability, equity, and community values. So when the opportunity arose to make solar part of that mission, Andy said the decision was surprisingly straightforward: “Running as sustainable a business as we possibly can has been really important to us since we got started.”

Café Install

Installed: June 21, 2019
Commissioned: February 25, 2020

Production Facility Install

Installed: November 20, 2020
Commissioned: February 1, 2021

Solution Details & Measurable Results

Going solar for Dynamite Roasting Company was never just about installing panels. It was a deliberate step toward sustainable growth, operational independence, and reinforcing their community values. From the very beginning, professional guidance made all the difference. “Having Sugar Hollow help in navigating the world of grants and tax credits… helping us figure out how to make it cost-effective, how to end up making it profitable for us, was a really big help,” Andy said.

The team at Sugar Hollow Solar guided Dynamite through every stage, permitting, system design, financial modeling, and incentive navigation, ensuring the project was both feasible and smart. “From the way it was presented to the time that we flipped the switch… it just made sense both economically and from an environmental standpoint,” Andy reflected. With this foundation, Dynamite not only installed solar panels, but they also built a system that supports the business, the community, and a sustainable future.

Their café system began with 24 SunPower AC 327 panels, totaling 7.85 kW DC, followed by a larger installation at the roastery with 156 SunPower 327 panels totaling 51.01 kW DC. Initially, the design for the roastery projected that the array would cover just over 100% of the facility's energy needs. Nearly five years after commissioning, the system has dramatically exceeded expectations.

Images from Dynamites’ Initial Proposal Projecting Production vs. Consumption for their production Facility.

“Here at our production facility, we generate roughly ten times more power than we consume. All of it comes from the solar arrays on our roof, which run not just the roasting equipment, lights, and HVAC, but also our delivery vehicle and the EVs our team charges here.”

This surplus has completely transformed how the business manages energy. “We don’t have an energy bill. We don’t have a power bill… we produce more power than we consume. Our bill is just zeroed out. Since we turned this system on, we have just accumulated credits faster than we use the power.”

With predictable, reliable energy, Dynamite can plan growth without worrying about fluctuating utility rates or additional energy costs. “The power needs, the cost of energy isn’t a factor in our decision-making as we grow our business because it’s set – it’s up there, it’s already producing,” Andy explained of their array.

Environmental Impact

The environmental impact of Dynamite’s decision to transition to renewable energy is equally impressive. The café system produces about 10,902 kWh annually, enough to power a home for a year, while the roastery produces over 60,000 kWh annually, offsetting roughly 100,000 miles of gasoline driving each year.

Since its commissioning 5 years ago, the roastery system alone has generated over 309 MWh, avoiding nearly half a million pounds of coal burned.

**Lifetime Environmental Benefits from Dynamite Roasting’s Production Facility**

Just like a single cup of coffee can spark a connection, one business’s sustainable decision can energize an entire community. By committing to solar, Dynamite has transformed its production operations, eliminating all energy expenses there, while significantly reducing energy expenses at their café and gaining operational stability and freedom across both locations. At the same time, the company has become a model for other local businesses exploring renewable energy.

“We’ve been a resource for other businesses… helping people understand the process, if it makes sense for their business,” Andy said. With energy needs already covered and surplus power supporting future growth, Dynamite can focus on innovating, expanding, and strengthening its role in the community through its many partnerships and initiatives. In this way, the company’s solar investment is more than a system on a roof; it’s a foundation for sustainable progress that benefits the business, its neighbors, and generations to come.