A Roaster's Journey
I've been chasing community my whole life.
It started behind a bar. Bartending taught me that people open up when someone pays attention — and I loved being that person. But when I met my wife, the late nights lost their appeal. I wanted to build those same connections during the day, in a space where anyone could walk in and feel like they belonged. Back in 2010, I had a vision for exactly that — a café serving coffee, yerba mate, and awa, with live music, and tables full of people who had nothing in common except showing up.
Life had other plans. I spent the next fifteen years in IT, which turned out to be a good life. But the dream never really left.
Three years ago I started roasting coffee at home, mostly just to see if I could. I became obsessed — sourcing beans from different countries, experimenting with roast profiles, chasing the flavors I had in my head. Somewhere in that process, the old dream started feeling less like a fantasy and more like a next step.
Waiola Coffee Company is that next step. It's the beginning of something I've been quietly building toward for a long time.