Meet Matthew Delarosa of Ironsmith Coffee Roasters in Encinitas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Delarosa.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I founded Ironsmith Coffee Roasters in 2015. What started as a hobby of roasting coffee for personal use soon became an obsession. I found myself investing more time and money into the craft of coffee; from sourcing different regions from around the world to roasting it and preparing it at home. I soon realized that I had tapped into that part of my life that desired more for myself from an entrepreneurial position. I wanted to have my own business.

Finding a location in Encinitas was serendipitous. The local community has always been a driving force to our success. Almost six years later, we are still operating out of our small intimate shop and have achieved more than I could have ever imagined. From roasting in national competitions to international and domestic publication mentions. I’m proud of what Ironsmith Coffee has become in such a short amount of time.

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?
It has not been a smooth road. I have made just about every mistake you can possibly make running a business. The important thing is to learn from those mistakes and keep moving forward. It’s important to note that had I not been so heavily involved, from an emotional standpoint, it would have been very difficult to keep going. If I was merely an investor in this business, I would have cut my losses a long time ago. It’s easy to look at a business and see what the problems are. It’s difficult to look at a business such as a small start-up, and see what it takes to keep going because it’s not always front and center. It’s those late night “ah-ha” moments that create an epiphany that keep you going. Its the obsession to not fail that allows you to dig deeper and find ways to be creative.

Struggles include financial mishaps to mismanagement of resources. Learning how to become more efficient while creating a bigger impact is the ultimate goal. I will continue to make mistakes but I know how to overcome obstacles now.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ironsmith Coffee Roasters – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Ironsmith Coffee Roasters focuses on high-quality specialty coffee from various regions around the world. I travel to these countries and utilize a broker to export/import these coffees into the USA. We have a very small selection of coffees as I find that if we focus on specific regions, we achieve two things: consistency in flavor and consistency in our work relationship with those farmers.

I am most proud of our consistency to stay true to our fundamental values of focusing on high-quality coffees. Finding lower grade coffees is much more abundant and cost-effective, but it doesn’t align with our values.

What sets us apart is our quality in the product and our tenure. For instance, I personally still work as a barista at my shop. That means I am a six-year experienced barista working at the same place. That consistency in knowledge allows Ironsmith to have a consistent experience and product. I have employees who have two to three years of work experience at Ironsmith who also have the same consistency. This creates a customer experience that the service industry, unfortunately, lacks due to high turn over.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans are to stay small at the storefront level. I love having a small intimate shop. I do have plans on increasing our direct to consumer business as that is scalable. Being able to deliver coffee right to customers’ doors is a great way to reach people from all around the country, not just locally. I think of what I do as very special and being able to share that with as many people is a passion of mine.

Contact Info:

• Address: 458 S. Coast Hwy 101 Encinitas CA 92024
• Website: www.ironsmithcoffee.com
• Email: ironshop@ironsmithcoffee.com
• Instagram: ironsmithcoffee
• Facebook: ironsmithcoffee
• Twitter: ironsmithcoffee
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ironsmith-coffee-roasters-encinitas

Image Credit:
Kai Diaz

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