S6:EP19
Guest: David Yardley, CEO & Co-Founder, MoonGoat Coffee
From: MoonGoat has two locations in Orange County, CA. One in Costa Mesa and another in Garden Grove.
Instagram: @moongoatcoffee
Website: www.moongoat.com
Visit: MoonGoat has two locations. One in Costa Mesa, CA and another in Garden Grove, CA.
I would say specialty coffee is defined by quality more than anything else.
David Yardley, MoonGoat Coffee
Chatting with David was a real treat. First, it was just nice to be back in the podcast booth. Secondly, I appreciated his positivity about the coffee marketplace, generally, but without ignoring the real challenges facing the industry over the next century. Maintaining positivity in the face of challenge is a true skill, and I left our chat feeling more optimistic.*
My big takeaway from the chat was that MoonGoat Coffee is taking a comprehensive view of the potential coffee market they serve. They are trying to reach established craft coffee drinkers who want unique specialty coffees. They are also reaching out to entry-level craft drinkers with their soon-to-be-released instant craft coffee.
I’m still deciding how I feel about applying the craft term to an instant coffee. Still, if innovations by craft coffee companies will draw in more consumers who’re buying big box store coffees now, I’m willing to engage the premise. Worst case, farmers are being paid fair wages for coffee; in the best case, they are getting paid, and there is a new gateway coffee. This is a big tent. Everyone is welcome.
*This is not my natural resting state.
FROM THE SHOW
David mentioned two organizations MoonGoat supports as part of their effort to create a better coffee community, including:
Growers First - A non-profit advocate for farming communities, particularly in Central America. They are a faith-based organization that develops “…strategies that meet the economic, agricultural, educational, health, and spiritual needs of poor farming communities, resulting in long-term, sustainable transformation.”
While most of their work is in Central America, the non-profit’s homebase is in Laguna Beach, CA. You can see a list of their completed and current projects by clicking here.
World Coffee Research is an organization that does what they call “purpose-driven work” that has the potential to improve coffee productivity, coffee quality, climate resilience, and farmer livelihoods.”
They definitely focus on the science but are also a great resource for coffee education. The resources they make available (and that I often use) cover everything from sensory vocabulary to how farmers can account for their carbon output. Link to WCR Resources Page.
A turning point in David’s career was the inaugural coffee science seminar at the UC-Davis School of Engineering. That seminar has grown into a full on undergrad, graduate, and continuing education program with three facilities dedicated to coffee science.
COFFEE VOCAB
Split Bags: It’s exactly what it sounds like. More than one roaster collaborates to purchase a bag of green coffee—often 50-60kg—which they then split between themselves. It is a popular strategy among micro-roasters, home-roasters, and beginners, as a way to buy quality beans that won’t go to waste without going over budget.
CLICK ON THESE R!WC INDUSTRY PARTNER LINKS
Drink their coffees and whiskeys. Visit their cafes. Support local coffee shops. You won’t be disappointed.
Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Steady State Roasting • CAFÉ LaTERRE • Mostra Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company • Ignite Coffee Company • Ascend Coffee Roasters • Marea Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Roasters
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S6:19 - David Yardley, MoonGoat Coffee