Before I dive into how I started Ringleader Coffee Club, I’d love to start with the origin of my coffee relationship.
My Relationship with Coffee
Back in 2011, I was a 17 year old San Diegan going to college in the upper left of the US. I was starting fresh in a new region as well as a new, rigorous schedule. I joined the rowing team at Western Washington University and most people know that the schedule of a rower is very intense. Practice begins at 5:00am, sharp, seven days of the week. Then at around 7:30am, you leave the boathouse and head to 8:00am class. Often, I would get caught dozing off in the amphitheater of Math 102 (very embarrassing, btw). In order to be awake enough to row a boat in the dark on a large lake, caffeine must be absorbed in the system by at least 4:45 am. And then again on the way back from practice to be ready for the first class of the day. On the team, we would joke that our rowers got more done before 7:30am than most of our peers did throughout an entire day. To further complicate matters, our dorm didn’t allow most convenient types of coffee makers in the room. So alas, I was stuck with those packets of instant coffee and a kettle of boiling water. I would stash a bottle of sugary creamer to help cut the bitterness of this new-to-me substance.
As I spent more time in the coffee capital of the country (the PNW) and my taste for coffee became more refined, so did my morning set up. I graduated from instant coffee with coffee-mate, to a drip coffee machine using a bulk bag of Costco beans and eventually to a french press with a local roast. By the time I graduated, I had a favorite drive-thru espresso stand with a barista who knew exactly how I liked my sludgy cappuccino. (Shoutout, The Bean Stop).
When Bryson and I started our life together, we upgraded to a very simple single boiler espresso machine. I dipped my toes into espresso making, but with a newborn it was difficult to really spend time fine-tuning my skills. So, I continued to rely on home-brewed moka pot espresso and local coffee shops for my afternoon espresso fix (I have you to thank, Steady State!)
Fast forward a few years and I affectively have every mode of coffee-brewing possible, rotating as I see fit.
The Big Leap
As motherhood often does, I became consumed with my baby and her strict routine. This meant I was most definitely home every afternoon to make sure that second nap was never missed. But my Lord, how the second half of the day slumped. Parenthood was draining and with a newborn it was actually pretty boring. Each day, at around 1pm, I’d look out the window longingly for some comfort. For me, that would be a cup of high quality espresso. If I’m being transparent, I definitely considered having a drink delivered to my door for almost $20. In my woeful deprivation, I dreamed up an ice-cream-truck style espresso business that would cruise through our neighborhood each afternoon so I would have the ability to creep out to the street (baby monitor in hand) and get a delicious, fresh iced latte. I know that would somehow get me through to bed time. It occurred to me that this idea was actually a stroke of genius. Like, YES, parents would absolutely love this. We all know that for any outing to the park, Momma needs to stop to get an iced coffee to have in hand. What if the coffee source was already there, waiting for her to arrive?
Fast-forward a handful of years and I gained enough confidence as a home barista to fulfill my afternoon latte desires with either cold brew or my Nespresso (FB Marketplace, I’m forever indebted). If I was desperate, I had the courage to take all the kids with me to our favorite espresso spot in the city. (That’s you, Press Coffee!) But the idea of mobile espresso was nagging at the back of my mind. My friends got used to me forcing my amateur coffee into their hands whenever they came over. No visit was complete without trying my maple syrup, heavy cream cold brew latte!
Finally, on a camping trip, I was handwashing our french press. You know how gnarly dishwashing can be when you’re off the grid. I’m talking, coffee grinds all over my hands and fresh brew smells abound. As I was finishing up, with leftover coffee under my nails, I thought, “Wow, I could actually do this every single day.” On the drive home, I told Bryson about that thought and he said ”You should actually do that. It would be so simple to build a little cart and serve coffee to people!”
And boom! That was it! I spent the rest of that long, six hour drive home dreaming up a mobile espresso service to bring high quality coffee to parents where it is most convenient. I literally dreamed about it night and day. Thinking up every detail of the setup. That will eventually look like posting up at our favorite park or weekly story-time at the library.
The Ringleaders need caffeine to manage their circus.
How beautiful to think I can bring parents some comfort when they may be struggling to find a positive moment from their day.
I find great comfort in knowing that this pursuit is the integration of what I love, what the world needs, and what I am good at!
