Feb. 7—COLFAX — A barista with almost 10 years of experience has converted a former Taco Time building near the Colfax Rosauers into Shotz Coffee.

The drive-through espresso business is open 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 638 Main St. in Colfax.

"It's a perfect location," said Katie Broncheau, who owns the business with her boyfriend, Josh Beggs.

A Colfax High School graduate, she previously worked at 165 Degree Brew in Colfax as a barista. He was a logistics manager at Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative.

The drinks at Shotz Coffee are made with beans from Thomas Hammer Coffee Roasters by Broncheau and two baristas who, like her, are skilled in the technique that goes into making a high-quality espresso drink, Broncheau said.

The choices include mochas, lattes, caramel macchiatos, mocha frappes, matcha freezes and heavy-cream breves.

"They know how to make a good cup of coffee for sure," Broncheau said.

The present format as a drive-through-only business is intended as a starting point. Once she and the employees have a better sense of the flow of traffic at Shotz Coffee, she hopes to open the inside seating area.

"Everyone loves the taste of coffee," she said. "It brings the community together."

New method of manufacturing fertilizer shows promise

A Washington State University study has found that a sustainable substitute method for producing synthetic fertilizer can be cost competitive with present processes that require fossil fuels.

Researchers discovered "that the cost of ammonia sustainably produced using steam or water electrolysis was comparable to the currently used method of producing ammonia that uses either natural gas or coal," according to a news release from WSU.

"Sustainable fertilizer production might be economically attractive, particularly for small-scale operations," according to the study of researchers in the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture that was published in the "Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy."

The work is significant for a variety of reasons, according to the news release.

Synthetic ammonia plays an important role in feeding the world's growing population, according to the news release.

About 180 million metric tons of artificial fertilizer provide about 40% of the world's food annually, and all of the fertilizer comes from fossil fuels.

"It's an irreplaceable product and probably the most important achievement of the (20th) century," said Peter Pfromm, lead author on the paper and a professor in the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, in the news release.

"But right now, you and I, to a large part, are fossil-fuel based life forms, and that's not really sustainable," he said.

The present, more than 100-year-old method of making fertilizer is called the Haber-Bosch process. It uses high temperatures and pressure to pull nitrogen from the air and converts it with hydrogen to produce ammonia.

The technology that WSU researchers examined was a method that uses electrolysis. Electrolysis can use electricity created from renewable sources such as wind, hydroelectricity or solar power to split water into hydrogen, the most energy-intensive part of ammonia production, and oxygen, according to the news release.

A number of global fertilizer companies are building plants using electrolysis in places such as Australia and Scandinavia and some of those facilities are already in production, Pfromm said.

The research was paid for with a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Registration open for free financial conference in Moscow

Registration is open for Our Financial Conference, a free event April 7 in Moscow.

Retirement, investing and financial issues that working parents face are among the topics that will be covered. The conference will run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Best Western Plus University Inn, 1516 W. Pullman Road in Moscow.

Numerous experts who "want to help you make the most of your money and reach the dreams you have" will participate, according to a website promoting the conference.

Those attending will be able to ask questions of an attorney, bank representative and financial planner at no charge during a complimentary lunch that's part of the conference.

Registration is available at bit.ly/3YCASkP.

Registration closes March 31. The evening is being organized by the University of Idaho's Latah County Extension office.

Asian restaurant opening soon in Lewiston

LEWISTON — A new Asian restaurant is expected to open next to Waffles n' More along Lewiston's Main Street in coming weeks.

Koi Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi at 1407 Main St. will feature four hibachi grills where seafood, meat, vegetables, rice and noodles will be prepared by chefs who put on a show and interact with customers as they work.

Teriyaki, fried tempura items and sushi will be on the menu, as well as beer and wine, said Chelsia Sakyakirtie, who will manage the restaurant. She relocated to Lewiston along with Kadem Mas, the restaurant owner, from Eau Claire, Wis., where they worked at a similar restaurant called Fuji Steakhouse.

She was a server and manager. He was a chef who made sushi and staffed the grills where dishes were cooked in front of customers.

"We just love to be a team," he said.

Before that, they had spent decades working at restaurants in a variety of states, including North Dakota and Mississippi. They chose Lewiston for the first restaurant of their own after hearing about the community from a friend, Sakyakirtie said.

A check of the demographics of the town confirmed that Lewiston has the potential to be a perfect location for their restaurant, she said.

"The people are so friendly and welcoming," Mas said.

Expanding the area's appreciation for and knowledge of Japanese food are among the goals Mas and Sakyakirtie said they have.

They are opening their restaurant in a building that was formerly home to Antonio's and, before that, Panhandler Pies.

Lewiston financial institution grows

LEWISTON — Lewis Clark Credit Union has expanded with the acquisition of two properties adjacent to its Lewiston branches.

One is at 1632 17th Ave., where a house was demolished. It will be used for employee parking after the financial institution lost a few spots in its recent renovation of its 17th Street location, said Trisha Baker, president and CEO of LCCU, in an email.

The other is at 540 Bryden Ave. in the Lewiston Orchards where a manufactured home was moved and a house was dismantled after the fire department used it for training.

It will be part of a "future build in maybe 3-5 years," she said in an email. "In the meantime, it'll be finished and landscaped and used for additional parking."

LC chamber announces officers and honors

LEWISTON — Christy Armstrong, client service manager at Weibler Financial & Retirement, is serving as chair of the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2023.

The organization announced its 2023 officers and 2022 honors in a recent news release.

The other 2023 officers are First Vice Chair Misty DeBarbrie, account executive at Regence BlueShield of Idaho; and Second Vice Chair Tobe Finch, president of Happy Day Corp.

Five individuals were among the award winners. They were Don Montgomery, financial adviser, Waddell & Reed, Outstanding Board of Director of the Year; D'Lynn Ottmar, chief development officer, Tri-State Hospital Foundation, Honorary Recognition Award; Kayeloni Scott, communications director with American Rivers, Grace and Unity Award; Mariah Miller, community development officer, Idaho Central Credit Union, She's All In Award; and Nikoli Greene, executive officer of Nez Perce Tribal Enterprises, Chairman's Award.

Lewis Clark Credit Union and DZ Designs received community partner awards.

Scott was previously communications manager with the Nez Perce Tribe.

Williams is the Tribune's business editor. She may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.