A plan for a coffee business formulated five years ago by four best friends has morphed into more than just an aspiration. Luma Coffee Roasters has turned into a business built on principles and spirituality.

Logan Torrance, Shelby Torrance, Devin Masters and Catherine Masters planned on starting a business based on a common love for coffee.

“First off, we really, really love coffee, and being best friends, we would travel together and experience all this great coffee in places like Nashville and Chicago,” said Logan Torrance. “Finally, we said to ourselves ‘Why can’t Hammond have really great coffee too?’ So, Devin and Catherine started roasting coffee on the stove, and that evolved into us investing into our first electric roaster, and the rest is history.”

Shelby Torrance described the significance of naming their business Luma Coffee Roasters and how it relates to the real world.

“The name Luma comes from the word, ‘illumination,’ and that word is significant because we want our business to be a light in a world that sometimes can be very dark.”

Catherine Masters outlined the principles of their business.

“Our top three values are excellence, education and community,” shared Catherine Masters. “Creating an excellent product that we can be proud of for our customers is a huge passion of ours. In order to make that happen, we have put a high priority on investing in education and sharing what we have learned about coffee with the people around us.”

Catherine Masters explained how spirituality is implemented into their business.

“The greatest passion in all of our lives is Jesus,” said Catherine Masters. “So, it absolutely affects how we operate our business. Our top three values don’t just apply to Luma. They are biblically based and really define how we do everything.”

While the support of family and friends played a huge role in these four friends traveling down their path toward success, Devin Masters acknowledged that some employees at Hammond Regional Arts Center played a notable role.

“All of our friends and family have shown us crazy amount of support and loyalty,” said Devin Masters. “When the people around you really believe in what you’re doing, it helps to keep that fire burning. But, I would say that the two people that have really been vital parts of our growth as a business has been Scotty Meades and Maureen Joyce from the Hammond Regional Arts Center in downtown Hammond.”

Logan Torrance offered a piece of wisdom to people who have a desire to open up their own business.

“Know the ‘why’ behind your ‘what,’” said Logan Torrance. “Everyone knows what they want to do, ‘open a coffee shop’ or ‘open a boutique,’ but not everyone has a solid ‘why.’ Your ‘what’ is not going to keep you steady when profit isn’t coming in, business isn’t booming yet, and you feel like quitting, but your ‘why’ will. And your ‘why’ should always be people. If your dream isn’t helping someone, then dream bigger.”