Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Gano.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Like a lot of people in specialty coffee, we didn’t originally set out to start a coffee company. It all began nearly 20 years ago with a popcorn popper and a curiosity about why coffee could taste so different from one cup to the next. That curiosity quickly turned into a hobby, and before long we were spending countless hours roasting, cupping, reading, and trying to understand everything we could about coffee. As our passion grew, we upgraded to a Gene Café roaster and continued learning through constant experimentation.
Over the years, coffee became much more than a hobby. We sought out every opportunity to learn, whether that meant attending coffee events, training in Florence, Italy, participating in seminars, or learning from producers, roasters, and others throughout the specialty coffee community. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters was one of the early companies that inspired us by showing just how expressive and transparent specialty coffee could be. Later, roasting at California Roasting Collective gave us access to professional equipment and the opportunity to continue refining our craft while learning alongside other passionate coffee professionals.
As we continued learning, one question kept coming back to us: Why was decaf still treated like an afterthought?
We met so many people who genuinely loved coffee but had reduced their caffeine intake because of sleep, anxiety, pregnancy, medication interactions, or simply personal preference. They still wanted exceptional coffee, but their choices were often limited. At the same time, we were discovering incredible decaffeinated coffees from producers around the world that challenged everything we thought we knew about decaf. These coffees were vibrant, complex, and memorable, yet most people had no idea they even existed.
That realization became the foundation for Frequent Coffee.
Instead of creating another specialty coffee company that happened to offer a decaf, we wanted to build a company dedicated to elevating specialty decaf. Today, we focus on sourcing exceptional decaffeinated and naturally low-caffeine coffees from outstanding producers, roasting each coffee individually to highlight its unique character, and helping people discover that choosing less caffeine doesn’t have to mean giving up the experience of exceptional coffee.
One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been seeing people’s reactions after trying one of our coffees. We regularly hear from customers who tell us they had given up on decaf years ago, only to discover that it can be every bit as flavorful, complex, and exciting as the best full caffeine coffees. Hearing those stories reminds us why we started Frequent Coffee in the first place.
Looking back, this has never really been about selling decaf. It’s about making specialty decaf coffee more accessible and helping people continue enjoying coffee they genuinely love, regardless of how much caffeine they choose to drink. If we can help change expectations about what decaf can be while supporting the incredible producers who make these coffees possible, then we feel like we’re accomplishing exactly what we set out to do.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like most small businesses, our path was anything but linear.
When we first started talking about building a coffee company, we knew we wanted to focus on an area of specialty coffee that wasn’t getting the attention it deserved. We spent a lot of time brainstorming different ideas and researching underserved niches. At one point we seriously considered high-end instant coffee, and there were plenty of other ideas that made it onto the whiteboard before quietly disappearing.
But no matter where the conversation went, we kept coming back to decaf.
The more we looked into it, the more obvious the opportunity became. We were finding incredible decaffeinated coffees from producers around the world, yet most people still thought of decaf as something you settled for instead of something you got excited about. It felt like there was a huge gap between what specialty decaf had become and what most coffee drinkers thought it was.
There was also a very practical reason. We genuinely love drinking coffee and experimenting with different coffees, brew methods, and roast profiles. The only problem is that our bodies eventually remind us that tasting coffee for hours every day while drinking full caffeine isn’t exactly a sustainable business plan. At some point you stop evaluating acidity and sweetness and start wondering if your heartbeat has developed its own espresso machine. Decaf lets us keep exploring, cupping, brewing, and enjoying coffee all day without feeling like we’re about to vibrate through a wall.
Of course, there were plenty of other challenges along the way. Starting a specialty coffee company means wearing every hat imaginable, from sourcing and roasting to packaging, website design, shipping, accounting, marketing, and customer service. We have learned an incredible amount through trial and error, and we’re still learning every day.
Looking back, we’re grateful the road wasn’t smooth because every challenge pushed us toward what Frequent Coffee has become today. Instead of trying to fit into an existing corner of the coffee industry, we found a mission that genuinely excites us and, hopefully, helps redefine what people expect from specialty decaf.
As you know, we’re big fans of Frequent Coffee. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Frequent Coffee is a San Diego specialty coffee roaster dedicated to exceptional decaf and naturally low-caffeine coffees. Our mission is simple: to prove that choosing less caffeine should never mean settling for less in a coffee.
Rather than treating decaf as an afterthought, we specialize in sourcing remarkable coffees from exceptional producers around the world and roasting each one individually to highlight its unique character. We intentionally offer a wide variety of origins, processing methods, and decaffeination techniques because we believe people who choose less caffeine deserve the same diversity and excitement as any other specialty coffee drinker.
What sets us apart is our singular focus. While most roasters offer a decaf, we built our entire company around elevating specialty decaf. Beyond roasting great coffee, we’re passionate about educating consumers through transparent sourcing, brewing guides, and coffee science, helping people discover just how vibrant, complex, and memorable decaf can be.
More than anything, we’re proud to be changing people’s expectations. Few things are more rewarding than hearing someone say, “I can’t believe this is decaf.”
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Starting a business is inherently a risk, especially when you’re a team of just two people. Every decision matters because we don’t have the safety net of a large company behind us.
That said, we don’t think of ourselves as big risk takers. We try to take thoughtful, calculated risks backed by research, curiosity, and a long-term vision. Choosing to build an entire company around specialty decaf was certainly unconventional, but we believed there was an opportunity to serve an underserved community of coffee lovers.
We also believe in listening to what our customers want, but we’re equally committed to only offering coffees that we genuinely love, would happily drink ourselves, and are proud to put our name on. That balance between serving our customers and staying true to our standards has shaped every decision we’ve made as we’ve grown.
Pricing:
- $23 per 12oz bag – Specialty Decaf
- $23 per 8oz bag – Special Edition Decaf
Contact Info:
- Website: https://frequentcoffee.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frequent.coffee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frequentcoffee
