Today we’d like to introduce you to Roberto and Gretchen Laboy.
It all started in the kitchen…
That’s where we met at age eighteen when Roberto was a chef and Gretchen was a server at the same local restaurant in Delray Beach, Florida.
We fell in love, moved to California, had lots of adventures and got married.
We’ve always loved the ritual of making coffee and finding new coffees to enjoy together. Over the years, our family has grown (to us + three little ones), and our love for coffee has too. As we became more mindful of the ingredients and origin of our food, we brought that awareness to the coffee we were drinking. We dove deeper and became more educated on the pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers that were used to grow conventional coffee. We wanted to bring the farm-to-table food movement to coffee. We found that the story of the beans – their origin, their cultivators, the journey they made – added to the enjoyment of the cup, just as it did with food.
Coffee is a ritual that engages all of the senses; but on a deeper level, it’s a connection to the earth, the farmer, their family, their community, our community; and that connection is vital to our mission.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s been fairly smooth, but of course, every new venture has its challenges. I’d say the biggest challenge for us is our size. We roast in small batches so when large orders come through it’s more time at the roaster. We’ve definitely missed out on a couple of coffees we would have liked to offer. Sometimes, they sell out quickly and in large quantities to larger roasters.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Avila Coffee Roastery – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We are a completely organic + fair trade coffee roastery, so we only source and roast coffee that is certified organic and fair or direct trade. Our core values are considered for all of the decisions we make for the company. Is it sustainable? Is it ethical? Is it high quality? We half-jokingly started referring to it as “high vibe coffee” – which, to us, means all the parts of the process and the product were good through and through. Above all, we are dedicated to navigating this journey with love and integrity. There will always be more work to do here. As we grow, we’ll keep learning and gaining more resources to help us do even better, and that makes us excited.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We love all that San Diego has to offer in terms of fun! You could never be bored here. I guess everyone loves it since the traffic can get pretty gnarly at times, but the perks definitely outweigh that.
Contact Info:
- Website: avilacoffeeroasters.com
- Email: avilacoffeeroasters@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avila.coffee.roastery/
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
