The Story of Me and Coffee.

My journey with coffee started way back in 2008 at little cafe called Starbucks. However, this journey did not start with passion for coffee (GASP!! I know!). Like all of us adulting out there….I needed to pay some bills while still having time to go to college. Starbucks enabled me to do just that AND gave me insurance at part time!!!! I am the type of person that wants to learn- so when Im doing something its more than a task but can become a craft. I found out they offered a “coffee masters” program and totally jumped all over it…..and crushed it. I became a COFFEE MASTER!!! (I know…Im kind of big deal…little did I know there was soooo much more to learn) This gave me “cafe cred” but the only way to make more money was to step up my game and manage stuff and people… so I did. Fast-forward 5 years and I started having this crazy idea that there had to be better coffee than what I was serving. Third wave coffee was happening but getting in touch with it in my relatively small town was difficult. Coffee knowledge on the internet was in its infancy but I did as much research I could. This is the part in the journey where my passion for coffee emerged. The deeper I went into the coffee scene the more I knew I wanted to make better coffee and have others experience this new complex world of coffee with me…. to do this, I knew I had to do it on my own and leave the cooperate coffee world of Starbucks……but first lets take a break from coffee talk to mention…right about here is where I marry the most beautiful woman in the world!

and we’re back….

In 2013, I got word there was actually a little cafe opening in my very own downtown Pensacola, Florida! I knew I had to be a part of this! I could actually be a part of creating an awesome coffee scene in my hometown! I stalked the place during the whole construction! Never getting to talk to anyone but getting more and more excited as it project progressed. I applied as soon as they started accepting applications….interviewed…and got the job! I was officially a barista at The Bodacious Brew! Some of my greatest memories with the greatest people happened in that cafe. I learned soo much about opening and operating a local shop and loved every moment of getting to express my passion for coffee. I was recognized as best barista by “Best of the Coast”. As the shop grew, I got to train a lot of our local baristas and they have gone on to win their own titles and the coffee shop itself has won countless awards! One of the baristas I trained got the privilege of serving espresso to none on then Alton Brown!!!! Who posted about it on Instagram….and said I quote “a proper shot of espresso!” I was a proud teacher that day!! Throughout my time at The Bodacious Shops I had the privilege to be trained in customer service and management by the Studer’s and their team. I went from barista, to Coffee Shop manager and then on to General Manager of the whole operation at The Bodacious Shops and there 2 other locations. The Studer’s believed in me and trusted me to be a part of growing their dream for Downtown Pensacola. It was such a great experience and honor to be invested in by such a wonderful people. While employed with the Studer's I help build out a roasting operation and 6 cafes and personal run 2 of those. It was hard work but it was worth it! I was getting to follow passion and get a paycheck!! (still adulting! but way more fun!)

In 2019, I had personally invested so much into coffee knowledge and my passion for a great cup over the last 11 years and been invested in by my mentors the Studers the last 6. But as a General Manger my role become less and less about the coffee and more about managing people. I loved my job but I wasn’t using my passion. I wasn’t using the vast knowledge of coffee I had amassed. I wasn’t using the roasting certification I gained from Boot Coffee Co. I wasn’t getting to CREATE with coffee…to INSPIRE with coffee…and most importantly PLAY with coffee!! That is until mid 2019….with my mentors cheering me on….I had the opportunity to branch off on my own, becoming a business owner and roasting amazing speciality coffee from all over the world! I started Fix Coffee Company…… and found out my wife (the most beautiful women in the world I mentioned earlier) and I are expecting our first child! 2019 really exploded with awesomeness on all fronts. Now it is 2020 and Fix Coffee Company is up and running (the baby is on the way soon). I am roasting for The Bodacious Shops and other local cafes. I sell wholesale and retail whole coffee beans at my brick and mortar shop and here online. It was 12 years in the making but it has finally happened. I get to use coffee to CREATE, INSPIRE, and PLAY. Come hop on into this coffee journey with me and let us taste the world…one cup at a time!