BOSTON, MA— Local roaster Kent Dunney is out of work this week after lifting an entire 154 lb bag of green coffee and hurting his back.
Our reporters visited Dunney in his apartment, where it was immediately clear that he had been binging Netflix’s newest releases and eating takeout during his recuperation. He seemed in good spirits considering the circumstances.
“I got hurt this time, but what’s the alternative? Just not lifting a whole bag of coffee?” said Dunney, reflecting on his injury. “It’s an important part of the job.”
Dunney, who has been roasting for three years, prides himself on being relatively fit without any particular workout routine. “I’m pretty tall and strong, just naturally,” he shared. “In my interview, when they described the physical demands of the job, I was like, yeah, that’s definitely no problem.”
While his manager had implemented rules against lifting an entire bag of coffee, Dunney felt that it was “just faster” than scooping out some of the coffee or working with another person to lift it.
We talked to Dunney’s manager Ron Stephens, a veteran factory employee with a background in beer. “We really don’t want people lifting that much weight,” he said. “That’s why we implemented a rule against it. I always say, don’t be a hero.”
Dunney is recovering and focused on the future. “I don’t think that just because this happened, that means it’s bad to lift that much weight. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal and I’ll probably do it again if the same situation arises.” Meanwhile, he’s just going to try to enjoy the downtime with the new season of Riverdale.
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