Latest / Coffee People Podcast / Roast! - Taylor Fields, Nostalgia Coffee Roasters

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Roast! - Taylor Fields, Nostalgia Coffee Roasters · Coffee People Podcast

0:00
Seen here me. I can see you.
0:02
I can hear you as my audio sound good.
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Is it? I know you're not recording the
0:07
video. So I figure back out, doesn't
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matter. Yeah, doesn't matter.
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I mean I'd appreciate it if you make it nice for me.
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But other than that, I mean it looks like a pretty.
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It's, it's cool. It's a good buy back here.
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Yeah, I'm digging. It.
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No it looks like a very professional coffee office.
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You know, thank you. Thank you.
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You're welcome. I've certainly met plenty of
0:33
people who were in warehouses. I'm in my closet.
0:36
You know? It's, it's some Modern Age.
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It's remote work. It's whatever.
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Good morning. Welcome back to the roast West
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Coast coffee podcast. I'm your host Ryan Walt and
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today, I'm sharing a conversation with Taylor Fields.
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She is the founder of nostalgia Coffee Roasters in San Diego and
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the innovators. Behind Brew bags, our video
1:02
chat, a few weeks ago, was the first time Taylor and I had ever
1:04
met, despite having quite a bit of overlap in both of our coffee
1:08
and friendship worlds from the jump, it was one of the most
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comfortable back and forth, conversations I've had on this
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show and Taylor was incredibly generous in sharing her coffee
1:17
and personal Legends. And how they've intertwined in a
1:20
moment you're going to hear Taylor.
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And I talked about how she got from corporate accounting into
1:24
coffee her, goal to become one of the biggest coffee companies
1:27
in the world, how her relationships in life.
1:29
Have impacted and been impacted by this path and how in her
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words she decided to risk it all for coffee while you're
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listening today, take a moment to follow at Nostalgia, Brew on
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Instagram and click the follow button on at roast West Coast.
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While you're there you'll also find links to Nostalgia, Coffee
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Roasters, and there we funder fundraising campaign to learn
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more in-depth. Details about the company and
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how you can be part of it. Right now, I'm feeling nostalgic
1:57
myself for a steaming claim mug of coffee on a Brisk fall.
2:00
All day one with just a hint of winter in the air.
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So I'm going to fill my coffee mug and I hope yours is full too
2:06
because it is time for the show. If you're, if you're up for it,
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I'll jump right in and welcome you to the show.
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Yeah, let's do it. Hey, that was it.
2:34
I just welcomed you to the show. Welcome to the Rope West Coast
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coffee podcast. If you could for me, just say
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your name and your company for the audience.
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Yeah. So I'm Taylor Fields, I'm the
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Under of nostalgia, Coffee Roasters here.
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In San Diego, California. And you're the founder.
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Were you also The Roaster at one point?
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I have not roasted been roasting our coffee.
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I started out roasting coffee but not for Nostalgia.
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It was more of a personal Quest, Endeavor, home roaster type
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thing, but, no, I haven't been like our head roaster that is
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brant Rakowski. Who is this?
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Like the most talented roster, but I certainly know about
3:19
roasting know how to roast, but don't have time.
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Roasted all the time. No, absolutely not.
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I was just curious because I actually wasn't sure based on
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the research, I had done if you were doing the roasting or was
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just brand new brand had, come on, I think more more recently
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in the history of your company. So, yeah, before we get too far
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into those details, I want to ask you about what you were
3:41
doing before this. What were you doing before
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coffee? You're from Chicago area, which
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is kind of mild mild Homestead. So I'm wondering what brought
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you out here and what were you doing before this?
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This. Yeah Ryan.
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So I'm actually originally from New Mexico went to school in
3:58
Chicago at the Paul did accounting.
4:01
Finance was actually going to have like a golf career.
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I thought it one point. I went to school for golf and
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then, you know, kind of, it was kind of a two-part thing where I
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fell in love with coffee because of Chicago, the situation in
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Chicago and then The need for coffee and then studying for my
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CPA exam which is kind of the thing you do when you get an
4:24
accounting degree. It's like, well, yeah, go get
4:26
your accounting CPA license. So got my CPA was working an
4:32
audit in Chicago downtown. Beautiful office was amazing,
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move to San Diego with that accounting firm because I was so
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tired of the cold and yeah, long story short, I ended up
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realizing that audit was not for me and coffee.
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Was and that was my love and passion and decided to just like
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Risk Everything for coffee risk. Everything was there a like
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Tipping Point where you just came home.
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One day from work and you're like, I just can't do this and
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and I know that coffee is the thing or was there some sort of
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growing pains in between making that decision and finding your
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way into coffee. There were growing pains I mean,
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honestly, going back to college. So I think really my first
5:15
experience with coffee. I didn't have any coffee growing
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up. My parents and drink coffee got
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to Chicago. First year of snowpocalypse was
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freezing. Cold started to see people, just
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like always drinking this, like water that had a black tinge to
5:30
it and they're like, oh my God, it's like helps me feel.
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We can do school and life and it's so warm and so I started
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drinking Dunkin Donuts coffee and was like this is cool like
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it tastes good. Like I get I feel like I'm more
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focused. You know I love these like spray
5:46
on his nut flavors. This is Add, it wasn't for about
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a year year and a half until I started experiencing like pour
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over coffee on my own and kind of getting into it.
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And then realizing like, why is this coffee, like have spray on
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Flavor? Like what?
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About not sprayed on flavor, coffee.
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And then that's really where I found inteligencia and Chicago
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happened to just move like, right?
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Literally above the original Intelligentsia, in Chicago, in
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Lakeview, and started going down there, as I was studying for
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accounting. Young and fell in love like
6:20
almost immediately with like this scene and this experience
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of coffee being like this, I don't know like a art form but
6:30
science and beautiful and sexy and tastes good.
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Like really really cool. I remember tasting my first
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natural coffee there and be like this is freakin gross but like
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someone is awesome. So like I'm gonna keep drinking
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this and What happens. So anyways I was really in the
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coffee. By the time I was studying for
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the CPA exam, mostly studying 10, 12 hours a day at at
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inteligencia, just really getting familiar new.
7:00
The braces, first name basis was drinking, lots and lots of
7:03
coffee experiencing it from all over the place.
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When I was an audit, I couldn't get the coffee bug out of me, so
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I would actually be bringing to our clients.
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If you picture, like a big conference room at a big Fortune
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500 company. There's like 12. 14 Auditors,
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right, we're all sitting around the table.
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I would bring in a kettle. A grinder coffees from different
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parts of the world, different Roasters, and I would make the
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entire like conference room. Stopped for like 15 minutes.
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I would bring in like, you know, all this different equipment
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whether or not people wanted to and I would teach them about
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coffee. We would have like a pour-over
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lesson. I'd like this is a comic so this
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is Khalid are this is V60 and this Is the way you brew it.
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And these are tasting notes and all of this exciting stuff that
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I was obviously passionate about.
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I remember one specific company can't name it, but they're
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publicly traded and their CFO walks into the conference room
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like suit and tie obviously, like, very important.
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And it's in the middle of one of our impromptu coffee classes,
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and he's just like, what is going on in here?
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Like, are you guys auditing or is this, like a cafe?
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And it was at that moment, I think we're, I really kind of
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thought like, oh man, like I'm kind of going pretty far into
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this. Like, I don't know if I can keep
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up a life in audit with like all.
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I'm thinking about now is coffee and where I can get my next,
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like, really cool and unique coffee from.
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So come home that day. I think over the next week or
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two some things started to click for me.
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That The biggest thing is I'm auditing.
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All these companies with Founders who obviously have a
8:49
passion for what they do, but turn it into a business and I'm
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now auditing their business and like they took a leap of faith
8:57
somewhere. I never got on a personal level
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with them like that, but that's kind of what it's about.
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And I was like, you know, it, I know how a company runs.
9:06
I freaking love coffee. Let's go all into it.
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So had a really, really, really difficult conversation with our
9:13
partner at the accounting firm. I mean, so, of the biggest
9:16
accounting firms in the world and told them I was leaving to
9:19
start a coffee company and Yeah, that was like a really like
9:26
gut-check moment because they're like will pay you more will be
9:30
flexible with you. You can work from home.
9:31
If you want half the time, just please don't leave.
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Like I was doing really well and I got it and he was like you
9:38
know you're making a mistake, maybe wait 5 or 10 more years
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when you have more money or financially set and this is like
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no this is I would regret if I didn't try this and that was
9:50
definitely a gut-check moment though.
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We're Like, I knew that I was leaving something that was a
9:56
paycheck and a career and salary and like, friends that I had
10:01
made all behind for something that could completely fail and
10:05
that was scary, but it did it. And here we are.
10:09
And here we are. That is a, that is the moment,
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you know, that decision of comfort over, you know, it's
10:16
great risk. Reward is kind of the the saying
10:19
and but deciding to actually leave that is isn't the Name is
10:23
theorizing about it. You know, it's not the same as
10:25
thinking about it to actually do it and then to know, okay, if my
10:28
last paycheck is coming on this day, roughly this, the end of
10:33
the month. And now I have to figure out how
10:37
to replace that somehow or to change my life to fit, whatever
10:40
my new revenue is, or my new income is, is, is difficult.
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I know for me, that's always something I struggle with, and
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I'm married. So, we're a partnership.
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So when one of us makes a choice, the other one, One is
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impacted. Yeah, you know, that's always
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something to your partner. Whoever that is if you have one
11:00
gets us a to as you get older. And so it's, it's this balancing
11:04
act that between what kind of Life do I want in my personal
11:08
life and what kind of Life do I want in my career?
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And I think we're what happened with you.
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And in, this is just me, speculating, tell me if I'm
11:16
wrong. But is your your personal
11:19
passion started overlapping into your career, and it became this
11:22
thing? We're why separate them?
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It became a Everyone always talks about the golf bag for
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like, once you get into golf, like you just want to go golfing
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and that kind of happens with coffee for me.
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It was just once I started to get the coffee, it's all I
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thought about from the time I woke up, like I remember Go
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ahead and save me like I can't wait to wake up because I have
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this new coffee. The try like I was so excited
11:47
about couldn't get it out. Couldn't get out of my system
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but yeah. Something I haven't really
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talked much about in like articles or interviews or
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anything is I was married at that point.
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I say was because we're now divorced and that was really
12:04
hard and I'm not going to lie to you, like obviously making the
12:07
decision to leave a career and go to one salary.
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Was really hard for the both of us and that probably didn't put
12:17
a lot of help on to other things that were happening in our
12:20
lives. So like, besides leaving a job
12:24
now sudden I'm like on my own with no salary and really having
12:29
to figure it out. That person was very supportive
12:32
at first like was you know awesomely helpful but yeah it
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scared the shit out of me. The day that She left and all of
12:43
a sudden. It was like, my backup plan of
12:46
having like a salary, at least in a place to live is now gone.
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And now now I'm like really deep in the woods.
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Now I don't have a salary probably for the next couple
12:58
years so That was horrifying and I almost not gonna lie to you
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like multiple times almost went back.
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Like I could have easily gone back to that accounting firm or
13:09
another accounting firm and just given up and for Comfort.
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But I didn't really happy I did but there's still times even to
13:18
this day that it's sometimes like I should just be nice to
13:21
have a weekend and like a 9 to 5 job maybe and some time off.
13:27
But yeah. So that was a hard time and I
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did have to find. I was Nimble during that.
13:31
Time ate a lot of like really cheap food, which I still do, I
13:35
still did a little bit of accounting on the side it into
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it spent a year like building the trailer and yeah it was a
13:42
hard time with my partner with my wife, There Is this different
13:48
mindset of Entrepreneurship versus working 9, to 5, and
13:52
being supportive is one thing. But understanding that is
13:55
another thing, and I know that when I left a career to try
13:59
something, and then it, Failed in the sense, I went through
14:05
kind of this entrepreneurial spiral that she couldn't
14:08
understand and so we had to navigate those emotions and
14:11
that's a lot. It's a lot on a relationship to
14:13
be an entrepreneur because there's so much of yourself that
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you are putting into this thing. So I want to say thank you for
14:21
sharing that with me, and that's very generous of you to do you.
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You start working in coffee, you've decided to commit, you're
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leaving the CPA. And you need to come up with a
14:33
name and you settle on the steljis coffee.
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Where did that come from? What is that?
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What is the origin of that? Yeah, so it's definitely fun and
14:42
happy a topic. So Nostalgia it came about from
14:47
a different couple, different directions.
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So, let me give you the most basic one.
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First, when I was roasting coffee and I started out.
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I got a popcorn popper as many home Roasters do and it was
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cheapest one from Walmart. It was like, $15.
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And there was a Nostalgia popcorn popper, just like a
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really crappy popcorn, popper, but I could like pretty much,
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make it, how I wanted, throw some pretty good coffee, 20
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grams 22 grams at a time. Not much too much Beyond
15:17
cupping, it by any means. But so I that name was kind of
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implanted from there, but as I started to really think about
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the business, it was, why am I getting in the coffee?
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And it's You know, I left Chicago because it was cold and
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when I was there, I was, I was like, I got to get out of here.
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It's so cold. It's expensive.
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Abla. But the times that I like back
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to in Chicago, it's like, always around the cup of coffee.
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Like, I miss so much like we're lucky in Southern California
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with the sunshine and warm while they, I miss, like those cold,
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cold cold, snowy mornings, where I would like, put so many layers
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on and walk down to the cafe, down the street.
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And like maybe I said hi to people.
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Maybe I didn't, but we were all in it together.
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We're all freezing. Our face off and we just wanted
16:07
this. Psych really good, drink to warm
16:10
us up and get us through like that day and to enjoy that
16:13
moment. And to me that's like Nostalgia
16:17
for me. I mean it's like this yeah,
16:20
whatever. I think back to any time, I'm
16:22
drinking coffee, like it's just nostalgic and so that was
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certainly a part of it was like this Longing for Chicago.
16:31
And then the other part of it is as I was as I was doing those
16:34
coffee classes for our fellow Auditors.
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You know a lot of them would always say like oh my gosh, this
16:41
reminds me of this or this reminds me of this time I had
16:44
coffee and so coffee is so sensory driven.
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Memories are driven by sensory and it's like a smell or taste
16:52
can kick off this. This whole kind of spiral of
16:57
emotions. And Memories that are typically
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pretty darn positive like a first date around coffee or like
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I do remember when I was little my mom making like french press
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for Christmas when I had some family over and like I remember
17:17
that and that was like such a great time in my life.
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And so now for me it's like we're yes we're in the South
17:25
like for things in the past and when you drink some of our
17:27
coffee, maybe reminds you of stuff but What's been really
17:31
cool to watch is every time someone comes to our Café or
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experiences our brand in a way whether told means that home
17:38
they're creating nostalgia in that moment for the future.
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So we're creating a future in the stylish or which is this
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really wild and weird concept to wrap my head around.
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But it's so true where people are coming back in like man.
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I remember that first cup at Nostalgia and it's like dude you
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guys now have a Nostalgia for Nostalgia and like it's really
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important to how we live our values.
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Those like every moment is so important, every interaction
18:05
with the customer every time we're in front of them, has to
18:07
be an experience, and it has to be this great experience from
18:11
the coffee, all the way to the ambience to.
18:14
I'll kind we are I'm like wait vomiting here, man.
18:17
That's hot. But yeah, right.
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That was a lot. That was great.
18:23
I would like to say two things for the audience.
18:26
One is you mentioned you were originally roasting 22 grams,
18:30
you know, just kind of enough for a cupping and 4 / 4
18:33
perspective. For people who maybe don't think
18:35
in G, I put 40 grams into my French Press which is enough for
18:39
about two cups of coffee, maybe three depending on my ratios.
18:43
So it's not a lot. It's a very all amounted to get
18:46
started on and I don't think people realize that a lot of
18:50
Roasters start on small batches you know, literally a pound or
18:53
two pounds at a time that they're trying to learn these
18:56
skills on. And the second thing I was
18:58
thinking why you were talking is as someone from Wisconsin, I
19:02
know that you don't live in the winter, you survive the winter
19:06
and you do have to do it together and the Nostalgia is
19:09
definitely there for those moments.
19:11
It's I don't have Nostalgia they'll for that.
19:13
Walk from the apartment. The cafe.
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Yeah, my first coffee drinking moment was actually in Chicago
19:21
as well at a place called Star lounge and a roaster Dark Matter
19:25
uses Star Lounge kind of as their.
19:26
Yeah, yes. That was my very first cup of
19:29
coffee and I can still remember the color of the paint on the
19:33
wall next to the table and what the bar looks like.
19:36
And I have that kind of burned in my brain as my first, my
19:40
first experience with coffee. Really good coffee, actually?
19:44
I mean, truly one of Of my first experiences with liquid coffee
19:47
ever was there. So I certainly have that feeling
19:51
you were just talking about how you're creating an experience
19:55
and people are going to have Nostalgia for Nostalgia, which
19:58
is a great line, trademark pending.
20:03
Yeah, trademark pending, I would use that.
20:06
Put that on shirts, that's fantastic.
20:10
You started with a cart with a mobile cart for Nostalgia, you
20:14
were outside of big corporations and you still have a mobile cart
20:19
that goes around town. How do you go about creating an
20:22
experience as a Mobile card? I think most people think of a
20:25
Carter as a when they hear that they go walk up to the window
20:28
and grab my coffee and a leaf. But yeah, you guys really focus
20:31
on creating a cafe like experience, even though it's
20:35
outside in Mobile. Yeah.
20:37
So I never used to It's like food track when I describe us or
20:42
a trailer or like a cart, anything like that, you know,
20:47
we've gotten really good into the habit of saying it's it's a
20:50
mobile Cafe and we mean that by bringing like that Cafe
20:52
experience. So, like I said, when I first
20:55
started getting into, when, when I first started Nostalgia,
20:58
obviously, we didn't have much money at that point.
21:02
Couldn't go out and hire someone to build us.
21:04
This like, beautiful, whatever you want to call it mobile Cafe.
21:09
Or really beautiful food truck, that is like, fully decked out
21:12
in quit. So, it took year because we had
21:14
to find it on Craigslist, like a shell and do the plumbing, the
21:18
electrical, the design, everything ourselves.
21:22
And the one thing in my mind, the entire time is, I don't want
21:26
this to be just another food truck.
21:29
I don't want it to be a coffee carts, where it's just like this
21:32
exchange of mediocre coffee in a pinch and you just happen to buy
21:36
it because you're there. It's you're actually seeking it.
21:39
Out wherever we are with the idea in mind of being a much
21:43
bigger brand and Coffee Company someday.
21:46
But this is our, this is our way in, you know, without any
21:50
investment money or anything. So, I've been a huge fan of
21:54
Disneyland, my whole life, but enough, I don't watch like
21:57
really Disney films, but I love Disneyland.
21:59
I love what Walt Disney did by creating this experience.
22:03
You know, it's not just about the rides, but it's that moment
22:05
you walk in and you kind of go to this different world and I I
22:09
always had that in my mind with the mobile Cafe is when you come
22:13
within our space, whether it's 50 feet, 100 feet, you're no
22:18
longer thinking, where did this come from your thinking?
22:23
Cool? Like, I'm going to study here.
22:25
I'm gonna like have a meeting here.
22:27
I'm going to open my computer and see if they have Wi-Fi.
22:31
Why are there so many plants? Are these real plants?
22:33
It's really pretty. Like why is there music?
22:36
How did this happen? Is this, a food trucker is this
22:38
like permanently Here on the street like is and then they
22:43
order the coffee and they're like, oh shoot like this is a
22:47
really good cup of coffee. Like this is what I would expect
22:49
from inteligencia is Million Dollar, build Cafe.
22:53
Like, how are they doing this and 5 feet by 7 feet of
22:56
workspace. I don't get it and kind of that
22:59
like shocked but then this tote like they could be in a parking
23:03
lot, but for that moment they're interacting with us.
23:06
Like they're not in the parking lot, they're in a safe.
23:09
Safe, beautiful green, fun environment that we've curated
23:15
every piece of for them and with them and that conversation is
23:21
like, it's really cool. It's magical.
23:23
I didn't see anything like that anywhere.
23:26
I'd gone before to get coffee. Obviously coffee food trucks
23:29
have been around and never seen anything like that.
23:32
So I was kind of driven by having that the core which is
23:34
funny because my apartment is like just garbage.
23:37
Like if I Bring a little bit of that into my personal life.
23:41
That would be great, but it all goes into the business, all like
23:44
the design and curating, every portion of it.
23:47
So you just mentioned some of the challenges of working in a
23:52
cart. I mean space being namely one of
23:54
them but there's also you guys have integrated kind of your
23:57
sustainability and your values and your social impact into your
24:01
brand. How do you balance those two
24:04
when you're working in a mobile space?
24:06
That's that's kind of predicated on temporariness.
24:10
Exactly. Yeah, so I think we had to be
24:11
hyper-vigilant focused on sustainability because as the
24:17
mobile Cafe, we don't have the luxury of Washing the heck out
24:22
of everything, or just going through tons of water, or being
24:26
able to just like toss trash out, or extra cups, out or
24:29
glasses, out everything we did, and that mobile Cafe.
24:33
I mean, we were practicing as like, you're aware of every step
24:39
of the process from where is the water coming from?
24:43
How much am I using? Weighing it, where is it ending
24:47
up a my rinsing, the picture a little bit, too long.
24:50
Are we going to have water? If we get a rush right now is
24:54
the water. I is the pump pressure, right?
24:57
How much gas do we have? In this generator that we spent
25:00
so much money on because it's the most fuel efficient and
25:03
eco-friendly generator on the Like, is that running properly?
25:10
Is their trash around the cafe? When we leave, never, because we
25:14
pick it all up. We're in a Coastal Community.
25:17
So we obviously aren't using reusable like ceramic mug.
25:22
So everything is you know, it could have been just like basic
25:26
plastic and cups and straws and really kill the environment but
25:32
really helps out on pricing, but we made the decision from day
25:35
one, this was three years ago before sippy LEDs, really a
25:38
thing that we were going to do 100% paper straws and good
25:42
friend Chris over at Coffee cycle was on that that route to
25:47
like paper straws and Like it's like four times the cost of a
25:51
plastic straw, but to me it was so important and we always said,
25:55
like, save the sea turtles. Every time we hand out a coffee,
25:57
like a cold brew or an iced latte.
25:59
They handed out with the paper straws is like sand, sea
26:01
turtles, just so you're aware of it.
26:03
Making sure that our cups are recycled making sure that we're
26:06
composting our coffee grounds. I mean, We're in this tight
26:11
space so we don't have the luxury of just like knocking out
26:14
a plaque into the abyss and then not really caring where it goes.
26:19
It's like know if we knock out of Puck and then we just empty
26:22
out a batch group of coffee, like where those grounds going.
26:25
And if you put them in the trash bag, a the trash bags and me
26:27
through heavy and break when we try to take it out and be like,
26:31
where is where are we putting it?
26:33
Because now we're having a tow it back somewhere.
26:35
So like we're composting that and we're reusing the glass
26:39
bottles for syrups and we can and now we've gone away from
26:43
paper straws to just sippy lids. And yeah, a lot of the places we
26:47
go are on the beachfront and its Coastal and it's touristy and
26:50
people don't love that. But You know, it's for the
26:54
greater good you would say. So from like that standpoint,
26:59
we're hyper-focused. We don't waste a drop a water
27:01
like we literally cannot waste a drop of water, which is really
27:06
important, especially in Southern California.
27:09
You go to a lot of cafes they'll just like overwash that Phil at
27:12
the you know the espresso machine, run more water pitcher
27:16
and steam wand like water. You can just like, go like that,
27:20
but we're very focused on it. And then, from like the way we
27:24
buy coffee to is huge on the sustainability friends.
27:27
And we're only becoming more sustainable every like,
27:30
literally, every opportunity we have, we're just becoming more
27:33
and more of a sustainable company which is so rad.
27:37
And as we become this, massive coffee, Company someday that I
27:40
imagine, hopefully, we'll bring that sustainability and equity,
27:44
and diversity, and inclusion, and paying people, right?
27:48
And all of the stuff that is on our r value statement.
27:52
The like everyone always says, but no one actually does, and
27:55
then we're actually doing it. So gosh, I feel like I'm taking
27:58
such a serious tone. This is coffee but it's
28:01
important. It is really, really important.
28:05
It's important stuff, and there, there is something about, like,
28:09
I Ink. A lot of companies have this
28:11
when they come up with their vision statement or their
28:12
mission statement and they put a lot of things down.
28:15
What about diversity, or inclusion, or sustainability, or
28:18
impact? I think, in most cases those are
28:21
very sincere desires, but the reality is, is a lot of those
28:26
things are harder to do and they're more expensive.
28:28
And so as a company you need to stay really Vigilant, you know,
28:32
and focused and and as a person too.
28:34
And that can be hard and it can be emotional to some impact too.
28:39
Remember that. I shouldn't be running the
28:41
water. When I'm just like washing
28:42
dishes for no reason. Right, exactly.
28:44
Things like that, in my personal life.
28:46
And so what you're doing with your Cafe is is trying to imbue
28:49
that now especially while you're young and growing into this
28:53
massive company and I believe that the idea is that the front.
28:57
There's a foundation. Therefore when you do grow that
28:59
this is part of every decision you make.
29:02
Yeah, speaking of growing you guys have been fundraising quite
29:05
a bit is And roaster. So I want to ask you what's
29:12
next, what is all this money for?
29:14
What are you going to be doing with it?
29:15
What are you creating? Yeah, that's okay.
29:18
Great question. So I'm really excited about
29:20
this. So obviously coming from a
29:22
finance, CPA background, I do have big Ambitions.
29:26
I'm totally aware that. We could stay a mobile cafface,
29:30
a pretty small team. I could have a decent that
29:34
decent, I could have a great life.
29:36
We can make great coffee. Keep it pretty.
29:39
A small, keep it chill, but that is just not my ambition.
29:41
I'm very competitive, very ambitious.
29:44
And I'm telling you right now, I want us to be one of the largest
29:47
coffee companies in the world someday and that's obviously an
29:50
ambitious statement. So Right now, we are actually
29:54
just about to close their seed funding around.
29:57
We've raised a little north of like, 300, some thousand dollars
30:02
and hoping to get to surround a half million dollars.
30:05
And that's obviously not just for a little mobile cafe or Cafe
30:08
itself. It's actually really for this
30:10
Innovation piece. So when we look at Coffee
30:13
companies and I was looking at the landscape and coming from my
30:17
experience, working in offices, it was always a freaking
30:21
struggled to get an exceptional. Tasting cup of coffee like on
30:25
the go without being next to like my favorite cafe or being
30:29
in an office. I'm stuck with Keurig.
30:30
I think most people who can who are listening to this, or
30:33
probably if they've ever been in office and no office coffees,
30:37
just, like, blah or hotel coffee and we don't always have the
30:41
time to like, go for a 20 30 minute jaunt to like grab, you
30:45
know, a really great tasting cup of coffee.
30:48
Wait in line. Pay.
30:51
Sometimes an exorbitant amount for a cup of coffee.
30:53
When like you just want it, you want to have it and be there.
30:57
And so when we were roasting coffee, when we started out year
31:00
and a half ago and we were doing our whole bean coffee.
31:03
You know a lot of issues we ran into is a lot of our loyal fans
31:06
loved coffee. They loved when we would make
31:08
them this great tasting cup but they were saying like, ah, man.
31:12
Like I don't have the time in the morning.
31:13
Do this pore over. I wish I could do it.
31:15
How you guys do it? I'll buy this bag, but I really
31:18
don't know what I'm doing. Or can you grind it?
31:20
For us and, you know, we do our best to say, like, this is the
31:24
ratio, we think you should use or this and sometimes you see
31:27
the eyes glaze over and you're like, oh my gosh, we just roast
31:31
this exceptional coffee. And I know that when they get
31:34
home, it's There's a million and one ways to screw up a great
31:39
tasting coffee at home or on your own, especially if you
31:42
don't have the time or just the nerdiness to nerd out over the
31:46
coffee and learn all about it. So, this kind of started a
31:50
venture forests of thinking, how do we get great tasting coffee,
31:53
to everyone out there that they can really carry around in their
31:58
pocket? This extraordinary cup of
32:00
coffee? And so we had gotten a, we were
32:04
approached by a company back in. In October of last year,
32:08
September afterwards, some coffees on coffee review and
32:11
they said, hey, send us basically, this is the pitch,
32:14
send us ten thousand dollars, three hundred pounds of coffee
32:18
and we'll send you back 10,000 tea bags.
32:22
Filled with coffee. I go, oh, that's kind of cool.
32:24
That could kind of solve this need.
32:26
Like, let me see how it taste. So we did a sample of it, one of
32:29
our best coffees, get it back. Completely disappointed by the
32:34
taste. Like we knew this coffee inside
32:36
and out. We brewed it to the directions.
32:38
We breathe it every way possible with the teabag and it was just
32:42
tasting like horrible, it just wasn't our coffee.
32:46
So it was at that moment that really the rest of the team was
32:51
like I don't, why are we even messing with this?
32:52
Like our bread and butter is whole being like we make great
32:54
coffee maker coffee in cafes Taylor.
32:57
You know, you want to open a bunch of like, really cool, cafe
32:59
Concepts down the country. Like let's go full force and
33:01
back. That well I just couldn't get
33:03
out of my head that like, I'm getting busier and like making
33:06
my poor over every morning. It's starting to get a little
33:08
bit too much for me, waking up at four.
33:11
And then I doing pour over and then getting out the door.
33:15
So I started to think about why did this coffee not taste good.
33:18
Like we did everything that the roast was great.
33:21
You know, this is a well known company, like why didn't taste
33:24
good? And so, after doing a lot of
33:26
experimenting ourselves, we figured out, we need to go back
33:29
to the drawing board and holistically.
33:32
Look at this way of brewing coffee, just like some copies
33:37
are great on French, press or some are great on kaleta.
33:40
This is a totally different method.
33:42
Like this is like, Regular drip coffee versus espresso like two
33:48
different roast profiles. Just theories of going into the
33:52
coffee and what they're going to be used for so we started really
33:56
experimenting yeah about nine ten months ago with different
33:59
coffees from around the world. Different varieties of coffees
34:02
different processing methods. You know natural processing
34:05
really drew it to us and then the roast profile blend ratio
34:10
Micron particle size which really means fancy word for
34:13
grind size. Sighs.
34:14
The amount of off-gassing. All of these components that go
34:19
into, we call a brew bag, which is coffee, and tea bag, which is
34:23
very simple way of saying it, all really matters, they all
34:26
these steps really matter. And so we finally came to this
34:29
point where we had Source the coffee.
34:31
We Blended the coffee, we roast it, we off-gassing from and
34:34
time. We found a partner here locally
34:35
to put it in a bag for us and it tastes like a damn poor over by
34:40
just adding hot water. And I was like, oh my gosh like
34:44
So this huge it's inside of a bag that's compostable.
34:48
You know, Keurig is this crap. This is exceptional tasting
34:51
coffee. We're going to be price
34:53
competitive. I think we should get investment
34:55
money for this and take this big.
34:57
And we don't have the capital to make a splash to make a splash
35:02
in the coffee industry with big players, like he rigged or
35:06
Starbucks or blue bottle, or anyone like that, you've got to
35:09
have cash, you've got to have great marketing, PR advertising,
35:14
Site brand development. So we started doing Angel
35:16
conferences as a feel free to stop.
35:19
If I'm going on too long here but as like a gay woman, founder
35:23
looking for Capital, it's very, very challenging.
35:26
First thought was, let's go to a bank.
35:27
Let's get a loan. This should be easy nearly
35:30
impossible, that will actually say it's impossible.
35:33
So then it's like, how do we get money?
35:35
So we start looking at Angel Investors and the investing
35:37
community in San Diego. And San Diego is a hub for
35:41
technology, life science. Back all of that.
35:45
And all of that comes from seed funding series a funding
35:49
investors. And wait a minute, I speak
35:51
accounting and finance, I think I can actually make a splash
35:54
here. It's not often you get a food
35:56
company going, this route but I got connected with this great
36:00
woman named Sylvia ma who's a really well known entrepreneur
36:04
investor. She was a teacher talent like
36:08
this a great mom but a super talented entrepreneur and
36:11
connector and believer in Male Founders and diverse Founders
36:15
and she became my mentor. And so over the last eight
36:18
months we started raising Capital to make this idea real
36:22
and she was certainly has a kid in first like is this actually
36:25
good coffee? Like I drink coffee.
36:26
My whole life came to the warehouse.
36:28
We did blind cupping. So we compared it and she's
36:30
like, oh my God, this tastes better than pour overs.
36:33
Like this is Sensational. So then we did like the San
36:36
Diego Angel conference, we were quarter-finalists and that was a
36:40
huge feat. I never competed in an angel
36:43
conference Or money before or investors, and we're a food
36:46
company and we're not like solving cancer where most of
36:50
these companies are. We're just solving great coffee
36:53
for everyone. And so long story short, I mean,
36:56
after that, it's just kind of taken off to this point where
36:59
we've been doing more and more research into it, improving the
37:03
product we've probably on version, 60 of it.
37:05
Now ready to launch in November have a great team of advisers
37:10
and investors behind this. Now, great.
37:14
PR firm advertising agency. And we're going to make a splash
37:17
in November December and hopefully, the, the sky's the
37:21
limit for us. And here you guys shaking in
37:25
their boots, I'll put it that way, like better, better coffee
37:29
better for the environment, we're paying and working with
37:32
our Farmers. Like it's just it's all there
37:35
and it tastes so much better. You don't need anything to do
37:38
with it other than hot water. That's exciting.
37:42
I've had a few t-bag s coffees in the past and yeah I wouldn't
37:47
say they were bad but I wouldn't say that they were great either.
37:50
They served a convenience need for me.
37:53
So I'm really curious and excited to try what you're what
37:56
you're offering. You know.
37:58
Sorry. I just want to say and that's
37:59
like really important. It's yes, it's serving
38:01
convenience need but nothing. I'm going to put out to any of
38:05
our customers. Whether they're my parents
38:08
family members or are DieHard fans is To be just okay?
38:12
We're not going to settle for just, okay.
38:14
A lot of coffee companies have these tea bags and they're
38:17
manufactured by one company and their co-branded and they're
38:21
just, okay, that's not okay, with us.
38:24
Like this should blow you away. Like every time you drink a cup
38:28
of coffee, it should be an exceptional experience period.
38:33
There shouldn't be any like, well, because I'm camping like
38:36
this is the best I can get. No, it's I'm camping out of this
38:39
freaking amazing couple. Coffee that tastes just as good
38:42
as my poor, very at home. Like this is rad.
38:45
Oh, and by the way, like we know that the producer in Colombia is
38:51
getting paid, heck of a lot more than this instant coffee that we
38:55
were using before or just. Okay, coffee that other Roasters
38:59
sent that maybe was older coffee and they had nothing to do with
39:02
it, obviously sound aggressive towards it.
39:05
But trust me when I say I've tried pretty much every coffee
39:09
that's ever been in tea bag and We're on a mission to change
39:12
that perspective for perception of it.
39:14
So well that's great. I mean, I remember the first one
39:18
actually that I had which was camping and it was given to me
39:22
by a guy who happened to work for the corporate offices of
39:25
REI. We just randomly met each other
39:28
in a campground in Oregon and I was desperate for a cup of
39:31
coffee because I was like packing and just not carrying
39:35
like Grinders and things with me and I had gotten too far away
39:39
from a town to get it. And it was cold much colder than
39:44
I was prepared for and he gave me this this little packet tea
39:48
bag to to make. And I remember being so thrilled
39:53
that it was just okay because I wanted it, I wanted a cup of
39:55
coffee so bad, but even in that moment thinking, oh well I don't
40:00
know that I would get this on my own so to hear that you're
40:03
making something that is that would give you that experience
40:05
that I try to get from my local coffee.
40:07
Shop is as exciting as someone who spends a lot of time
40:10
outside. Imagine how much better that
40:13
they would have been if you had been floored by the cup of
40:15
coffee, right? And that's what I'm kind of
40:18
thinking of is like how great it was just to have, okay, you
40:21
know, multiply that now by excellent, right?
40:25
Yeah. You are currently roasting.
40:28
I think California Coffee Collective.
40:31
Yeah. North County.
40:32
San Diego. You and bran, which is kind of
40:35
the brainchild of Elliot at steady state in a year in which
40:39
it's been fuck. Almost two.
40:41
Years. Excuse my language in which
40:44
covid is thrown kind of all of hospitality into this roller.
40:47
Coaster has there been any, have you felt like that collaborative
40:52
that a collaborative experience of being at a collective?
40:55
Is that still exist in the world?
40:57
Or is it still we go in? We do what we got to do, we get
41:01
out of here because of the situation where at I don't even
41:04
know what you mean. What's covid?
41:06
Never heard of it. Gosh, no.
41:11
No I yes that's a great point. So yeah, the roasting Collective
41:17
Elliot Len like amazing phenomenal humans and definitely
41:21
this collaborative helping each other out, kind of this
41:27
understanding that we're all going through this together.
41:30
Approach really started day one when back in March of 2020 when
41:36
covid happened that it was like, you know what, we're all
41:39
stronger together. And then independently there's a
41:43
lot of Egos and coffee and I didn't expect that when I first
41:48
really started to get in the coffee but there's a lot of
41:51
egos. Like there's a lot of people who
41:53
think they're roasting coffee the right way and other people
41:55
are posting up the wrong way or the way they're sourcing it.
41:58
But what I've really seen that's been really cool in the last
42:00
year year and a half. Is this collaboration of hey you
42:05
want to split like a shipping container or going on coffee
42:09
together or Like Elliot Leonard doing like create a place that
42:15
multiple Roasters can go and roast exceptional coffee the way
42:19
they want to, but in this collaborative format, where
42:22
you're getting it, help, you're going to get equipment if you
42:24
need it and, yeah, kind of like helping lift one another.
42:29
Like when a coffee company down, the street does really well,
42:33
that's great for a coffee company, like a couple blocks
42:37
away, because the better their coffee is, but your coffee is,
42:41
More people know about coffee. I think, I don't know if I mean,
42:45
so coffee cycle, obviously is one of my favorite places in San
42:49
Diego. Chris good friend of mine, but a
42:53
Starbucks opened right across from them and he had this really
42:55
cool approach like At first is a oh my gosh I'm so sorry.
42:58
Chris like this sucks and he was like dude were you time?
43:01
I like this is this is awesome. Like the community is going to
43:05
support us more. There's more coffee in this
43:07
area. There's going to be more
43:09
eyeballs around here like This is all working together and it
43:12
was that like on an extreme level this massive Corporation
43:16
and a small roaster, you know? And so when it's like two small
43:20
micro stairs or family-run businesses, like it just helps
43:23
each other. And so I've seen that throughout
43:26
the pandemic like if we're short on coffee or someone short on
43:29
coffee, we can get coffee from someone and they'll help us out.
43:32
And Yeah CRC is has been a huge help for us.
43:35
We've had eight months. Now, I roaster being built.
43:40
Just keeps Getting delayed. It was supposed to be three
43:42
months at most and it just keeps getting delayed and delayed and
43:46
delayed. And that's because of covid and
43:48
shipping and all of these various factors that are
43:52
affecting it and so they've really stepped up and made that
43:55
space available to us anytime. We need it and they're extra
43:59
hands and we need it and using their facilities and it's been
44:02
we wouldn't be here without them so I owe huge.
44:05
Like, shout out to them, they're amazing humans.
44:09
You just mentioned your own roaster.
44:10
Does that mean there is a more permanent location coming for
44:13
Nostalgia? Yeah, so we've got, we have a
44:16
roasting facility in Miramar. It's about 1,000 square feet and
44:21
that's kind of our home base for Everything, Mobile Cafe.
44:24
We currently roast there. So we saw coffee online, we
44:27
still have coffee, you know, in bags at our mobile Cafe would
44:32
obviously use our own coffee for the cafe itself to which, you
44:36
know, anywhere from 40 to 80 pounds of coffee.
44:38
We can there we've been roasting on an arc roaster, which can do
44:44
a little bit over a pound of coffee at a time.
44:46
So, when you were talking earlier today about starting out
44:49
with small bats is almost as we've been doing that for a year
44:51
and a half. So it's been great because brand
44:56
I have learned coffee. So, intimately and so on this
45:01
Micron level of like just the slightest adjustment can make
45:05
this flavor taste us this much better that we've really honed.
45:08
And our roasting skills and really been able to dial in some
45:11
of these coffees that were okay, but overlooked by a lot of
45:14
coffee companies and we were able to roast them and just
45:17
bring out this brilliant, flavor profile, but we have far
45:21
exceeded the capacity of roasting a pound at a time.
45:24
So, right now, if you were to hop on our website and Order
45:26
coffee, you're still going to get basically a bag roasted for
45:31
you by Brands and packed by myself and ships by me.
45:35
But in the cafe right now, most of that coffee, we have to roast
45:38
CRC. And we have to do to 300 pounds
45:41
a day when we're up there because I can't have Brandt
45:44
roasting 400 hours a week. I don't think that's there's not
45:48
even 4:00 in a week but it would take that long.
45:51
I mean each batch of coffee takes 10 to 12 minutes, four
45:54
minutes between you're looking like 16 minutes per batch.
45:59
It's his pound. So you do the math but it would
46:01
add up and, you know, we're starting to get to the point
46:04
where our online orders without any marketing.
46:07
It's getting to the point where we can't handle that.
46:08
Either so this roaster as being made by usrc we're really
46:13
excited about it. It's going to be doing 25 pounds
46:16
a batch which will really like just help us take it to the next
46:20
level. At a certain point will be able
46:22
to do 1,000 2,000 pounds a week if we need to and with the Brew
46:26
bags and the scaling that is all coming down the line quickly and
46:31
so as much as we like going to see our see it it's a pain in
46:35
the ass to bring like a couple hundred pounds of coffee and a
46:38
track. I get out, put it over there,
46:40
get set up and bring it back. It's been a Lifeline but I'm
46:43
ready for us to have just our dedicated roasting facility with
46:46
their own packing shipping and everything.
46:49
So I know it's been kind of piecemeal and San Diego's been
46:51
great for helping us with that, but we're ready.
46:55
Hopefully, within a month. I'll talk to you.
46:57
And be like now we're just cranking on our own roaster and
47:01
it's beautiful and like this. Yeah, it'll it'll be awesome.
47:05
And then we're going to be able to really expand from there.
47:08
You mentioned this earlier about being a woman and being an out
47:13
woman in coffee, which is part of your branding and your very
47:18
public about it does that matter in what you're doing.
47:21
Would you rather that people like me?
47:23
Don't ask about it or how does that impact your brand and what
47:26
you guys do? Yeah, I appreciate you.
47:29
Asking it open-ended lie. So when I first started
47:33
Nostalgia I didn't tell anyone, you know, I was gay and I really
47:37
just wanted to the focus on the coffee and making sure the cafe
47:42
was tasting exceptional, that people were seeking us out, not
47:44
because of who I am but because of the product we're putting out
47:48
there, it wasn't really until I met Sylvia little over a year
47:52
ago and maybe a year and a half ago now And I kind of leveled
47:57
with her. I told her like about my
47:58
personal life and as women in business like we all have like
48:04
pretty crazy stories about how we get there and the hurdles
48:08
that we have to overcome just because of like our gender and
48:11
all the stuff that goes into that and then being gay on top
48:16
of that makes things even more challenging but she said
48:20
something that was really impactful and it was Taylor like
48:23
you're going to be an imposition Sunday.
48:25
A to make a real difference and you don't need to like be public
48:28
about everything, you can totally just keep it about
48:31
coffee, but you have the power to make an impact for like young
48:37
women girls, like anyone around the world that and show that
48:41
things are possible. And certainly, as we grow
48:44
bigger, that's becoming more important.
48:46
So is it tied directly to our brand image these days?
48:49
No, it's not like on any of our packaging or anything like that
48:54
but I am open about And making it a point when I'm in an
48:58
investor meeting typically 95 to 100% men in that meeting.
49:06
And I make a point of it. Like yeah, I'm a woman in the
49:10
room and I'm gay and listen to me, and we've got great coffee
49:16
and it's just a fact of who I am, but do not let that go into
49:21
consideration while you're not going to invest in me, and if
49:24
you're not going to invest, To me because that then I don't
49:26
want to like be associated with you.
49:27
Anyways, but I have this power now which is really cool, this
49:31
responsibility, almost and sense to help out our community.
49:36
And anyone that is marginalized in San Diego.
49:41
The United States around the world and we've made that kind
49:43
of our mission. The last year's like everything
49:45
we do needs to be helping the greater good.
49:49
I had a conversation recently with this cool group that I'm
49:53
joining and we were Talking. And I was saying that, you know,
49:56
my dad and my mom like they have good intentions and sometimes
50:00
they say things that hurt people, but it's okay.
50:02
They have good intentions and their learning.
50:05
And he was like, you know, Taylor I'm kind of tired of
50:08
people saying, like, just because you have good
50:10
intentions, kind of has, like a shield and like, people are hurt
50:14
on the other end. So we need to be talking about
50:16
that her. And this is this bigger
50:17
conversation and that really stopped me in my tracks.
50:19
Are you doing? Wow.
50:20
Like I have not been using intention as like a excuse, but
50:25
But you're right, it's the impact that that intent makes
50:28
that is what we should be talking about.
50:30
So even if you intended to be nice but it hurts someone like
50:34
we need to figure that out. So I know this is kind of off
50:36
subject but my mind is still expanding on the openness, my
50:43
openness around it, how we can help the community, how we can
50:48
help all communities and realizing that sometimes intent
50:53
isn't good enough, like we've Actually consider what's
50:57
happening and that kind of goes back to our sustainability and
51:00
the initiatives of working with our Farmers side.
51:03
Note, we officially launched last week.
51:05
Five percent of our revenue from every sale of a bag of coffee or
51:09
box forever, is going to go directly back to producers or
51:12
putting in separate bank account.
51:14
And I can tell you more about that.
51:15
It's a really cool story, how that evolved but hopefully, as
51:19
we become a huge coffee company that number is going to be
51:21
substantial and going to make real impact to the other.
51:25
A thing I want to say is, you know, when we're talking about
51:29
real change and effective change, putting women in
51:32
positions of power like in our company and to people and
51:36
marginalized communities in our business and having a more
51:39
diverse team has just helped us tremendously be like the best
51:44
coffee company out there. So I think like Secret Sauce of
51:48
any good company is be diverse. The more diverse you are the
51:51
better and it's awesome. And I've been kind of Team that
51:55
in these investment meetings and defending some positions are
51:59
like why didn't you hire this guy or this person who has this
52:03
much more experience? It's like, no.
52:06
Because I really like this person, they have the potential.
52:08
We're going to watch them grow and it's going to be amazing.
52:12
So it's being aware of like the decisions were making and how.
52:16
Yeah, impacts people, it's important.
52:19
I would I would only follow up with that by saying.
52:22
I think one lesson I've learned as I've gotten older is that
52:25
That our positions. If, if we're willing to our
52:29
positions change in life and what we, with the knowledge that
52:33
we gain and any, any time that I try to lock myself into.
52:37
Well, this is what I believe this is my thing.
52:40
I end up, you know, regret not regretting it, but end up going,
52:43
wait around going. What was I thinking?
52:44
Like because now I have more information and I have more
52:47
experiences and I'm going to steal this from Brooklyn.
52:50
Nine-Nine of all places, which is a sitcom funny sitcom.
52:54
But there's a great a Great Line in there in which Captain Holt
52:59
says something along the lines of you know any time somebody
53:02
tells the world who they are and shares that with everyone, it
53:06
becomes a more interesting place and I think that's a really
53:09
interesting concept. And I think the more that my
53:12
awareness of the world is grown and the more that I engage with
53:16
all different people from different backgrounds, from
53:19
different histories, you just realize that there are so many
53:22
experiences and we can never really be aware of how we are,
53:26
impacting everyone down the line and we can only try to keep
53:30
learning and growing and getting better and better and better at
53:32
what we do and how we treat people.
53:35
How about that Outlook. Yeah.
53:38
And that's where I'm starting to embrace more, the fact that when
53:43
I've done some TV interviews and stuff, like I make it a point to
53:47
give a little bit of my personal story, and hopefully change some
53:50
minds and opinions out there about what these preconceived
53:54
notions are. And yeah, you better believe
53:56
that like I'm freaking proud of myself and who I am and our
54:00
community and like, but we have a lot of progress to me and I
54:05
want to help in any way I can. And the bigger we get, the
54:09
bigger, the voice. Have the more we can change and
54:13
I'm aware of that and we need to keep that on the front of
54:16
everything. We do at Nostalgia as we grow
54:18
like that. It's Key to Our Success.
54:22
I know that you have actual work to do today as much as I'd like
54:26
to keep talking to you for the rest of the day.
54:29
So I'm going to ask you the question that I asked everyone
54:31
to end to show, which is when you are headed out on the road
54:35
or you are, you're not drinking the style Joy, you're not coming
54:38
out through something like that and you just walk.
54:40
Akin to a random coffee roaster, random coffee shops.
54:43
What do you order for yourself? I will always order a pour-over.
54:48
Puts an option or their batch drip coffee.
54:51
I'm not 14. Like crazy drinks, lattes,
54:56
sometimes cappuccino but really just a great cup of coffee and
55:01
willing to see like whatever they whatever they decided to
55:05
put on batch that day or drift like There was a reason behind
55:09
it. There's a story behind it.
55:11
I want to taste it. And hopefully, what I ask the
55:14
Barista or the cashier, like maybe they'll be able to give me
55:17
like a little bit of insight into that and they could expand
55:20
my Expand my palate but also my idea of what's possible with
55:24
like coffee and that's always cool.
55:26
It's always like you never know what's going to be on drip, some
55:29
where you go or on that, pour over station, and where it's
55:33
going to take you to what part of the world and I love that.
55:38
And it's so cool that I'm able to take that and bring it back
55:41
to the Styles. And so like I had this
55:44
ridiculous coffee from this place, that was, you know
55:48
sourced from here. Like maybe we should look at
55:50
this like this was It's not something that was never on my
55:53
radar. So yeah, black coffee.
55:55
Even at any restaurant, like I'll probably get like a drip
55:58
coffee. It's my favorite.
56:00
Very cool. I really appreciate you spending
56:03
an hour with me today, and, and being so generous with your
56:07
story. And I would just thank you for
56:09
coming on the podcast. Ha, ryun.
56:11
Well, thank you for having me. I feel like I got a little bit
56:15
too serious on this podcast, but I do have like comedy and jokes.
56:19
I can always throw in at some points.
56:22
Maybe the next time we talk. I can I can play some of those
56:24
in there. That'd be great.
56:26
I would love to chat with you again more about the farm, the
56:29
new Farm initiative and the new TB, a concept coming out soon.
56:33
Actually, this show will be coming out like kind of right in
56:36
line with that. So that'll be great.
56:38
And I'm just excited to keep seeing seeing what you're doing
56:41
and learning more. It's exciting.
56:43
Everything is exciting. It's coffee.
56:45
Coffee is exciting. The world's exciting coffee is
56:47
blowing up right now, so it's a good time to be in the coffee.
56:52
But thank you so much for having me on here, please.
56:54
Stop by say hi in person and thank you to all your listeners,
56:58
y'all Rock. So cheers.
57:11
Okay to recap Taylor left a career a successful one in
57:15
corporate finance to pursue a dream of working.
57:17
In coffee, I've had moments and I'm sure you have to when our
57:20
minds wander to that. And if I had 10 million or 100
57:24
million or a gajillion dollars, what work what I still want to
57:28
do for Taylor? The answer was coffee but not
57:31
just coffee. It was also being a disruptor in
57:33
the coffee industry. It was pursuing that feeling of
57:36
accomplishment that comes with laying it all out there.
57:39
Talking with Taylor was a joy and it was noticeable that
57:42
despite all her current projects, including Brew bag,
57:45
including the Nostalgia fundraising campaign on, WE
57:48
funder. And despite the challenges of
57:50
just running a small business every day, Today she was never
57:53
really selling anything to me or to you the listener.
57:55
She was just sharing her passion with us and damn.
57:58
If it didn't make me more excited about coffee than ever.
58:01
I have a lot more to share about Nostalgia Coffee Roasters and
58:04
Taylor Fields, but this has been a really long show.
58:07
So head to roast westcoast.com for more for links.
58:10
For some coffee smarter education, and subscribe to the
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58:16
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58:18
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58:22
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58:30
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58:33
And I really appreciate it. If you are inspired to drink
58:36
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58:42
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58:50
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58:58
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59:01
the show, and for helping us grow, the craft coffee
59:03
Community, I'll leave you with that.
59:05
Quote from Captain Holt to Rosa Diaz in the Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
59:09
Episode Game Night in which he says every time someone steps up
59:13
and says who they are, the world becomes a better more
59:16
interesting place. So thank you.
59:20
This episode of the roast West Coast coffee podcast is was has
59:25
been written produced and recorded by me Ryan Walt.
59:28
I hope this show is found you happy healthy and with at least
59:31
enough sanity to make it through the day.
59:33
And please always tip your Baristas and be sure to drink
59:37
good coffee.