Brandon Ivan Pena, 787 Coffee
Season 14, Episode 4 at SCA Houston 2025.
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Guest: Brandon Ivan Pena, 787 Coffee
Based: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and Texas
Online: www.787coffee.com
The Coffee People Podcast traveled to the Specialty Coffee Association Expo in Houston, TX, to interview coffee pros at the Roastar, Inc. booth on the convention floor. Over two days, we recorded six episodes of Season 14. The fourth episode features the passionate Brandon Ivan Pena, Co-Founder and CEO of 787 Coffee. 787 Coffee is a farm in Puerto Rico, cafes and carts in New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Puerto Rico, and an effort to create unique caffeinated humans.
Meeting with Brandon is a bit like getting caught in a summer storm on your bicycle. The immediate rush of passion and enthusiasm is unexpected but welcome. The ferocity with which he speaks of his passion for the people behind 787, particularly the community in Puerto Rico,, envelops you and makes you want to care about them, too. As the conversation mellows and the storm subsides, you're left a bit exhausted as the exhilaration wears away.
I'm reminded of the Kurt Vonnegut comment from one of his later books, A Man Without A Country. He says, "And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."
His business model is unique in the coffee industry. Most coffee brands work within one link of the coffee supply chain. 787's goal was to own the entire chain, including farm, processing, and distribution—both from the farm and to the customer directly.
Early in the business, Hurricane Maria (2017) upended all of Brandon and his business partner's plans. The farm was destroyed. The backup plan was non-existent. The momentum lost. He was depressed and rudderless. The plan for his future, for 787's future, was no more.
It was the people behind the company who picked him up. Instead of focusing on the losses, they asked, "When are we getting back to work?" It's a simple yet not-so-simple question to confront. Brandon had potentially lost his business, but the people of Puerto Rico had lost so much more. The options were nill, other than to clean up and retool.
The experience made 787 lean and nimble. They pared down the excess and focused on the core of their business moving forward—providing coffee for people. They expanded their sourcing efforts and streamlined away the bells and whistles of branding. The singular focus allowed them to withstand the initial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. They were prepared for the extreme when others were merely trying to survive.
The paring down ultimately has led them to expansion. They have 25 cafe locations in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and Texas. They offer coffee experiences, including education workshops and weekends at the coffee farm. Personal acclaim and attention have been heaped on Brandon as he continues to claw for attention to Puerto Rico's coffee history, culture, and coffee bean.
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THE 787 COFFEE PACKAGE
The 787 Coffee packaging is produced by the Coffee People Podcast's presenting sponsor Roastar, Inc. They were recently featured on the SCA Design blog, and even though he didn’t say it to me when we were chatting about the packaging, I learned later, that Brandon also designed the bags.
We wanted to capture more than just coffee—we wanted to capture a story. A story of resilience, community, and the beautiful journey from seed to sip. This bag was born from countless hours of dedication, creativity, and heart. Brandon, our founder, poured himself into every detail, designing it day in and day out. It wasn’t about rushing a design—it was about illustrating every moment, every human, and every part of our coffee’s journey with intention. Every brushstroke represents a moment. The human on the left side of the bag isn’t just an illustration; it’s a tribute to our farmers, our baristas, and the loyal humans who stand with us, sip after sip. The right side honors our roots in Puerto Rico—the land that has shaped us and tested us through hurricanes, COVID, and inflation. And on the back, our tagline "Let's Do This!" isn’t just a phrase, it’s a call to action, born from the resilience that pushed us through every challenge. This bag was designed to feel personal, because it is. It’s about more than packaging—it’s about telling the story of survival, loyalty, and community. A reminder that coffee isn’t just coffee. It’s hard work. It’s art. It’s family. It’s home.
• Copy from the SCA Design Blog provided by 787 Coffeee
Roastar is a premier coffee packaging company utilizing digital printing. Roastar enables small-to-gigantic coffee businesses tell a big story. Learn more at https://bit.ly/4gIsHff.
FREE COFFEE TOUR STOPS
Join me for a coffee this week at:
Drink Coffee, Do Stuff in South Lake Tahoe. Sunday, June 8th at 9:00 AM. 3894 Pioneer Trail, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
10 Speed Coffee Bar in Hood River, OR. Wednesday, June 11, at 9:00 AM. 1412 13th St, Hood River, OR 97031.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
I’ve officially moved out of the podcasting closet in Carlsbad, CA. I was more emotional about it than I expected. I spent a good portion of the pandemic learning how to podcast (debatably) and recorded 100s of episodes of the Coffee People and Coffee Smarter podcast.
If you’re wondering where this show is going, for the end of this season and the entire 15th, we’ll be recording IRL from the road. We started at SCA, are continuing this week on the Free Coffee Tour, and culminating at Coffeefest in Portland. At the event, we’ll be moderating the Going Green: Panel Discussion on Sustainability in the Coffee Industry. It is a broad topic, but the panelists and I will be trying to break down a few key points. I hope to see you there. You can get tickets to attend here: https://www.coffeefest.com/portland/attend.
This fall, I’ll be settling with my wife and pup in Oregon. It’s a move that has been a long time coming. We’ll be there exploring for at least a year in an effort to see if it is the right place for a long-term home. If you’ve got coffee, camping, or beer recommendations for western Oregon, please share.
OTHER BRANDS WE USE & HAVE PARTNERED WITH*
Please use these links. You’ll be getting a great gear AND supporting Roast! West Coast. The links below enable us to generate some affiliate revenue. As always, we don’t partner with brands we don’t use, coffee we don’t drink, or strongly recommend.
