Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Kelso.
Hi Alex, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The Story Behind Boards N’ Beans
I opened the coffee portion of the shop in August 2021 while simultaneously building out the surf section inside. For the first eight months, I worked every day as our in-house barista until we had enough revenue to bring on a barista a couple of days a week. While working behind the coffee cart, I also made all of our simple syrups in-house, helped roast our beans, and handled all of our supply runs.
The surf portion of the shop opened in October of that same year. We began hosting Makers Markets featuring small local vendors, community gatherings for our neighbors, and pop-up food vendors. Unfortunately, those events eventually came to an end when our landlords shut them down. We continued looking for ways to improve and expand the space, including building decks in both the front and back, increasing our footprint along Turquoise Street.
Coffee has always been the heart of Boards N’ Beans. In December 2025, I had the opportunity to partner with the legendary brand Gordon & Smith. Our location at 763 Turquoise Street was originally home to their board manufacturing shop when the company began in 1959. Gordon & Smith played an important role in the evolution of the surf and skate industries right here in Pacific Beach, and bringing them back to where it all began felt like the perfect fit.
We are incredibly honored to be part of this historic rebirth and to help bring a piece of Pacific Beach’s surf history back to where it all started.
Today, Boards N’ Beans is putting a greater focus on our wholesale coffee and syrup program, bringing the same values we’ve built our shop around to other cafés, restaurants, and businesses.
The quality of our products is the most important thing to us, and we’re not afraid to pay more for premium ingredients or work with producers who share our values. Our coffee is sourced from farms and small cooperatives that prioritize regenerative farming practices, responsible sourcing, and fair living wages for the farmers who grow our coffee.
Our simple syrups are made in-house using alkaline water, real whole-food ingredients, and raw turbinado sugar. We believe that better ingredients create better products, and we don’t believe in cutting corners to save a few cents.
Sustainability has always been part of how we operate. We use fully compostable hot cups and corn-based plastic cold cups, and we offer our customers a generous discount for bringing their own mugs. We’ve also created our own community litter program: anyone who comes into the shop, grabs one of our buckets and trash pickers, fills a bucket with litter, and brings it back can earn a free coffee.
It’s a small way of giving back, but it’s something we believe in. Boards N’ Beans exists because of the community that has supported us for the last five years, and we want to continue supporting the people that have supported us.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Entrepreneurship always comes with its struggles. Things seem to go wrong a lot more often than they go right, but I’ve learned that if you keep moving in the direction you believe in, things have a way of working themselves out.
One of the biggest challenges for small businesses in San Diego is the cost of simply maintaining a place to operate. As a business begins to do well, landlords can raise rents, increase CAM fees, or impose new rules and restrictions on the space. For a small business, those changes can have a major impact on the ability to grow and remain sustainable.
Going from running the entire space myself to having employees has also come with a huge learning curve. Learning how to delegate, manage people, and step into more of a leadership role has been an important part of the evolution of Boards N’ Beans.
My wife has played a huge role in helping the shop evolve along the way. From running our social media to bouncing ideas around with me, she’s been an incredible partner in the business. She’s also much better at communicating than I am, so having her by my side as I’ve stepped further into the managerial side of the business has been a tremendous help.
At the end of the day, life is all about change, adapting, and evolving. Boards N’ Beans has changed a lot since we opened in 2021, and I’m sure it will continue to change as we move forward.
Whatever gets thrown at us, I know we’re ready for it
As you know, we’re big fans of Boards N’ Beans . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Boards N’ Beans is an eco-conscious café and surf shop in North Pacific Beach, built around great coffee, creativity, and community. We specialize in unique, craft-made simple syrups, thoughtfully sourced coffee from regenerative farms, and creating an open, welcoming space for everyone.
What sets us apart from other cafes is our one-of-a-kind house-made syrups. We offer flavors ranging from blueberry basil to pumpkin Oreo—and just about everything in between. We’re always experimenting and creating new flavors that make the coffee experience a little more fun and unexpected. We also offer a wide variety of coffee drinks and don’t charge extra for several of our alternative milk options because we believe everyone should be able to enjoy their coffee the way they like it.
What I’m most proud of is what Boards N’ Beans has become beyond just a café and surf shop. It has grown into a true community hub. Businesses have been started here. Couples have met here. Lifelong friendships have been formed. People have been introduced to new ideas, new opportunities, and each other.
We believe in helping people achieve their goals while we continue working toward ours. That spirit of collaboration is a huge part of who we are.
Along with coffee and our surf shop, we offer surfboard shaping lessons, private rentals for small- to medium-sized events, and, of course, what we believe is some of the best coffee around.
At the end of the day, Boards N’ Beans is about more than what we sell. It’s about creating a place where people feel welcome, where ideas can grow, and where community comes first.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The food and beverage industry in America is at a turning point. Consumers are becoming more aware of what goes into the products they eat and drink, paying closer attention to artificial ingredients, seed oils, and their overall sugar intake. We’re also seeing growing interest in products such as raw milk and newer, more health-conscious milk alternatives like MILKish. This shift toward more intentional, health-forward choices feels less like a passing trend and more like a lasting change in the way people think about food and beverages.
When it comes to coffee equipment, the technology behind the espresso machine is surprisingly timeless. Modern espresso machines are still built around the same fundamental principles of pressure, temperature, and consistency that have been used for decades. While newer, higher-end machines offer increasingly sophisticated controls—including the ability to adjust pressure and temperature independently for individual group heads. But in the end we need 9 bars pressure and a water temp around 195 to pull shots no matter what.
I also don’t see fully automated coffee machines becoming a threat to the craft coffee shop. Specialty coffee is about much more than producing a consistent beverage. It’s about the interaction between the barista and the customer, the knowledge behind the preparation, and the personal connection that happens across the counter. A machine can make a drink, but it can’t replace the human interaction, hospitality, and personal touch that make a great coffee shop feel like part of a community.
Pricing:
- Drip coffee 3.50
- Flavored Oat lattes 6.90
- Butter style lattes 8.75
- Shop gear $33-$65
- Surfboards $1300-$2000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://boardsnbeans.shop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boardsnbeans_/?hl=en
