EVAN

Co-founder & Coffee Director

Product Strategy, Green Coffee Sourcing, Roasting, Education

I started working at Starbucks in 2011, after graduating from college with a studio arts degree (in painting and ceramics). I didn’t want art to become a burdened love, so I pivoted to coffee. At first, it was a paycheck. But over time, it sparked fascination, which transformed into passion, which evolved into joy. Coffee became so much more than a beverage with a specific function. I began to see it as a metaphor for the uniqueness of people, places, and cultures. This is what keeps me in it; I never left the industry!

Growing up, I was exposed to the realities of farming life through my mom’s family in Oregon and California. Seeing them steward land and resources had a profound impact on me. I believe that farmers are essential to the flourishing of humanity and the natural world. Much of my childhood and teenage years were spent honing the details and minutiae of tennis technique. Tennis habits – such as analyzing micro changes, making adjustments, and committing to daily repetition and continual refinement – naturally transferred to coffee roasting and brewing. It occurred to me over the years that (as is similarly true in both tennis and art) excellence is in the details.
Spending over a decade in the industry has taught me a lot about each step in the coffee supply chain. I’ve worked as a barista, supervisor, manager, barista trainer/educator, production roasting assistant, and coffee consultant. I’ve traveled to places where coffee grows and worked alongside people who steward the plants with their hands and feet.
There is so much I love about coffee! And there are ways I want to see the coffee landscape change and improve (environmentally, economically, and culturally), which is one of the main reasons I started this small business in the Boston area – it’s one way of putting my values into action. I want to play my part in collective efforts to improve the industry.
Some of the most rewarding moments in this business are when I see the fruit of a farmer's labor have a similar impact on others as it did on me. It’s a privilege to cup new coffee samples, dial in roast profiles, and test recipes because it means I get to keep sharing the beauty of coffee. Thank you for supporting an(other) small, family business. We hope to deliver a great coffee experience!

NICOLE

Co-founder & Creative Director

Brand Strategy, Design, Communications, Project Management

I met Evan in Oregon when he was working at Starbucks and roasting coffee in a popcorn popper at home. Back then, I was brewing cheap dark roasts in a french press (no shame!). I didn’t know much about coffee, but I could appreciate his excitement and zeal – we were both art kids, his sensory language and creative curiosities felt relatable. Naturally, I was auto-enrolled in his Coffee 101 crash course. ;-)

When Evan upgraded to a Huky roaster, life would never be the same. Suddenly, our dining table became a coffee roasting station in its free time. This was foreshadowing… 5-ish years later, our little Boston apartment would become ground zero for starting a business, with green coffee storage in the living room and coffee roasting in the kitchen. But by that point, I was all-in on coffee too!
The turning point for me happened in 2017 while coffee farming in Guatemala. Shifting from a desk job to coffee fields was a welcome shock to my system. The hot sun, clarifying air, textured soil, and oily leaves – all of it broke the categories in my brain! I loved the gooey sweetness of coffee cherries; the florality of coffee blossom honey; the corn, beans, avocados, loquats, and everything else bursting from the ground. Working alongside farmers and community members taught me about the interconnectedness of people and land, of hands and plants. I found the attention to detail and meticulous care at every step in the farming and production processes captivating.
Fast forward to Boston in 2021, when Evan decided to level up his roasting hobby and start his own business. We jotted down an(other) on a post-it note one night, and I made some preliminary visuals and a bare-bones website. I helped Evan on the side for a few years before stepping in more seriously full-time. When creating visuals for the business, I enjoy being inspired by environments, plants, people, processes, flavors, and aromas!
As a multidisciplinary designer – with a background in studio art; interior, graphic, and installation design; multimedia storytelling; research; and writing – I apply a dynamic and layered skill set to every challenge and task.