Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank La.
Hi Frank, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve been in the coffee industry here in LA for the past ten years. I graduated from UCR with a Business Admin degree with a concentration in HR Management. Unfortunately, I graduated in 2010 in the height of the recession and I couldn’t get a job anywhere. I also didn’t really know what I wanted to do but I knew that I loved cooking and had originally thought of pursuing the culinary field but decided against it.
Without a job, I took an opportunity at a local coffee shop called Bricks & Scones and decided to work there to gain some experience for my resume. When I told my parents about my decision to work at a local coffee shop, I thought they’d be disappointed, but to my surprise, my dad told me that it was a good idea and encouraged me to work as if it was my own business. He would say, “do the little things the other employees won’t bother to do. Do it like you’re the owner.” So with that mindset, I worked as hard as I can and along the way fell in love with coffee. I loved the smell of roasted beans, the taste of freshly brewed coffee, and of course, making latte art. Eventually, I was introduced to James Choi, who started a brand new cafe called Cafe Dulce (Little Tokyo). It was less than a month old and he was looking for someone with a little bit of coffee experience, and with just short of six months of coffee experience, I told him I’m your guy! He took me under his wings and taught me a lot about what it meant to start a new business. When I started there, I told myself that I’ll pour everything I can to make this place blow up and that I wouldn’t quit for at least one year, no matter how grim it got. And let me tell you, back when we first started, things were not looking good. We lost our baker and so we were left to make some of the pastries ourselves, rolling up green tea donuts and rotis and doing whatever we can to generate some buzz.
Eventually, through word of mouth and hard work, Cafe Dulce started picking up momentum and became a place known for great donuts, pastries and coffee. With James’s blessing, I was put in charge of the coffee program and we helped create an amazing program that highlighted some of the best coffee roasters across the country. We eventually started a pop-up in Downtown with a local art studio where we featured a new artist and new coffee roaster every month. I eventually left in 2013 to help start a new coffee company called Copa Vida. I was brought on as a minority partner and taking the knowledge and experience at Dulce, I took what I learned and helped expand Copa Vida over the next seven years from 1 shop in Pasadena to seven cafes and one roastery in Pasadena and throughout the San Diego area. I learned a lot during my time there, especially on the expansion and growth side. Two years ago, I also had the opportunity to create a coffee brand for Walmart that we test piloted in Dallas, called LiftOff. We ended up opening eight cafes inside of Walmarts throughout Dallas. That was a wild experience but I eventually went back to Copa Vida in 2018. But the one thing that remained consistent was my love for coffee. In fact, I fell so in love with it that I started entering local latte art competitions and eventually found myself on the United States Barista Championship stage in 2013, doing miserably and shaking like crazy during my performance. Eventually in 2014, taking all the things I learned from my first time around, I ended up placing 3rd in the South West region of the USBC and ended up competing in Seattle on the National Stage, as one of the top 24 baristas in the country. Which brings me to today. I left my position at Copa Vida in July of 2020, in the thick of the pandemic to start my own coffee company. I know, crazy right? It didn’t make any sense for me to leave my job, but I’ve just had this itch to be an entrepreneur on my own. I’ve always wanted to be my own boss and there’s no experience like that without taking that first step to start something on your own.
At first, I wanted to start my own cafe, but it just wasn’t the right time with all the shutdowns, so I made a pivot to start an online coffee subscription company. So for the next five months, I put my head down and went to work to build a coffee brand from the ground up. And this past Thursday, my wife (Michelle La, who also happens to be the actress from the movie Searching) finally launched Be Bright Coffee. Be Bright is a new coffee roasting company with direct online subscription, plus some wholesale, with the goal of making coffee drinking as simple as possible. “Specialty coffee” is way too complicated for most people. There’s jargon and terminology that most people don’t understand, which leaves coffee drinkers frustrated. Coffee should be easy, not complicated. What makes Be Bright different is that rather than focusing on origin and terroir and varieties, we focus on categorizing coffees to STYLES and taste categories. This is huge because every person has different preferences, and Be Bright wants to provide the right coffee for the right drinker. Be Bright is about matching you with the perfect coffee you want, for the exact way you want to enjoy it. Our goal is: stop drinking coffee you don’t like and start each day on the Bright side.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has definitely not been completely smooth. There have been challenges along the way like being sure of some the business decisions we made along the way. Some other struggles personally include making the decision to branch out on my own. I wasn’t sure of the timing, how much capital I needed, both financially but also time-wise as well. But with every struggle, I definitely always weighed out the options in front of me and moved forward with conviction and never looked back.
We’ve been impressed with Be Bright Coffee, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Be Bright Coffee is a new coffee roasting company with direct to consumer online subscriptions, plus some wholesale, with the goal of making coffee drinking as simple as possible. “Specialty coffee” is way too complicated for most people. There’s jargon and terminology that most people don’t understand, which leaves coffee drinkers frustrated. Coffee should be easy, not complicated. What makes Be Bright different is that rather than focusing on origin and terroir and varieties, we focus on categorizing coffees to STYLES and taste categories. This is huge because every person has different preferences, and Be Bright wants to provide the right coffee for the right drinker. Be Bright is about matching you with the perfect coffee you want, for the exact way you want to enjoy it. Our goal is: stop drinking coffee you don’t like and start each day on the Bright side. We know what it feels like to not get the coffee you want. It could feel overwhelming not knowing where to start in your coffee journey.
So, after a decade in the coffee industry and tasting over hundreds and hundreds of coffees, we’ve discovered four distinct taste categories and made it simple to remember. DARK & BOLD: Big, full-bodied dark roast coffee ringing with bold and smoky flavors that will wake you right up. RICH & SMOOTH Classic in taste, rich in flavor and texture, and smooth all the way to the last sip. BRIGHT & LIVELY A lively way to start your day, coffees present with more fruit and brightness than your average cup. UNIQUE & SURPRISING Surprising in flavor yet delicate and nuanced, these coffees delight with unique flavors you can sip and savor. We also have a quiz that you can take online that will ask you five simple questions and based on your answers, we’ll match you with the coffee that’s right for you.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.bebrightcoffee.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bebrightcoffee
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bebrightcoffee
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/bebrightcoffee
