Meet Derek Jaeschke and Will Hyndman of Alibi Coffee Co. in Harvard Heights

Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Jaeschke and Will Hyndman.

Derek and Will, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We started working with a group of farms in Guatemala who had a couple of containers of raw green coffee here in LA. We helped sell through the coffee and started roasting. From there, we started selling roasted coffee to other cafes and restaurants. We were looking to find a brick and mortar location for roasting but found the Harvard Heights space which was more of a cafe front. So we combined the roasting and cafe into one concept.

Funding was tight, so we gutted the space and did all of the work ourselves. Reusing lathe from the walls to make the counters, cutting up the concrete floor for plumbing, and salvaging whatever we could. We got a great old chandelier from the old Century Plaza Hotel, which was being renovated. There were definitely a few roadblocks haha and a couple of mistakes, but overall it turned out pretty well.

The whole idea was to have a space that feels like an extension of your house to hang and enjoy coffee, without barista attitude or crazy prices. A place where everyone is welcome and can be introduced to specialty coffee.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
More like a cobblestone road. Smooth-ish?

Electrical problems. Landlord issues. City issues. Unfounded ADA lawsuits. A brief run in with the Mexican Mafia. Things taking too long, and costing too much. It’s been lots of fun though!

It’s all perspective, there’s always hurdles – both in business and life. We try to take them in stride and move through them without stressing.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Alibi Coffee Co. story. Tell us more about the business.
Alibi Coffee Company is the first coffee roaster in the historic West Adams district here in Los Angeles. Our focus is on roasting quality specialty coffee at an accessible price, both in the shop and for our wholesale partners. Alibi is an old school community shop with modern flair and an attitude free approach. We love our coffee and encourage our customers to enjoy theirs however they like. Alibi maintains that a great cup of coffee is as much about the conversations and connections that surround it as it is the coffee itself.

We take the same great care in crafting our coffee; working directly with farmers we have built relationships with and roasting everything fresh in house on our small batch roaster. Alibi is about going beyond great coffee, and realizing it is the conduit for great ideas, relationships, and time for oneself. We do our best to partner with like-minded business both in a wholesale capacity, as well as hosting events and community gatherings at our versatile shop space.

We are most proud when someone smiles after taking their first sip of coffee, runs into a friend or neighbor, or plans to stop in for a quick cup – but stays all afternoon.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We don’t believe in luck per se. Luck is the intersection of hard work and determination. Just keep doing good things, and things will work out. We would say copious amounts of caffeine and constant planning has played a larger role than luck.

Pricing:

• $1.50 12oz Drip Coffee
• $4.50 Latte
• $4.50 Cold Brew
• $2.50 CBD add-on to ANY drink

Contact Info:

• Address: Alibi Coffee Co.
  2268 Venice Blvd
  Los Angeles, CA 90006
• Website: https://www.alibicoffeecompany.com/
• Phone: (310) 951-9929
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @AlibiCoffeeCompany

Image Credit:
Copyright Alibi Coffee Company, Photographers Farand Heydari & Derek Jaeschke

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