Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Stogsdill.
Eric has been involved with coffee for over ten years. He developed a passion for coffee early after working in restaurants and retail coffee. He started with a small roaster out of his garage and worked to develop his roasting skills. As his roasting skills improved and he developed a small networks of wholesale bean providers, he was able to start selling in farmers markets in WLA, Culver City, Westchester and Redondo Beach. Eric’s love of coffee and passion for sharing his knowledge helped him grow his customer base. Eric met Erin, the co-owner of Alana’s and the two began discussing the possibility of a retail location. It took them over two years and some heartache to finally open Alana’s Coffee Roasters at it’s Mar Vista location.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Roasting beans for several farmers markets a week was tough and as Eric was roasting from home before the California Homemade Food Act was fully in effect.
Farmers Markets require a significant amount of work to set-up and takedown. Not only was Eric selling his coffee beans but he provided a full menu of espresso drinks. He did everything on his own for several markets a week. It was exhausting!
To open the Alana’s Coffee Roasters cafe was a difficult process. The building was a former Chinese take out restaurant and needed major renovations. There were many hurdles to overcome for the onsite roaster. The process was started in 2015 and finalized in April of 2017.
Moving from a one man operation to a company with a partner and employees is a transition that had some hiccups as everyone adjusted.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Alana’s Coffee Roasters – what should we know?
We are a local micro coffee roaster. We are known for how we roast our beans, our coffee knowledge and how we share that knowledge in an accessible way. We are snobby coffee without the snobby. Our baristas are friendly and we’ve tried to provide a cool environment to enjoy your coffee. We also are known for our community events. When it warms up, we have free movie nights, karaoke, open mics, sing-a-longs and comedy.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Passion for coffee and a desire to share that passion.
Contact Info:
- Address: 12511 Venice Blvd.
- Website: alanascoffeeroasters.com
- Phone: 310-295-0099
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: alanascoffee
Image Credit:
Ezekial Gonzalez
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