Today we’d like to introduce you to Nayton Rosales.
Hi Nayton, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The story started in 2013 when I discovered what specialty coffee could create. Before that, I saw coffee as a simple commodity to get me through the day. But for those who know me, I love to search for the artistry in everything. Like a fine wine, there’s more to coffee than the average coffee drinker tastes. The farmer, the roaster, and the barista can bring out subtle flavors from a simple little coffee cherry, which inspired me to embark on this journey.
In 2014, I decided to buy a fifteen-dollar popcorn popper on eBay and began roasting my coffee in my garage. From that point, I was mesmerized by the process of bringing out different flavors and experiences through something as simple as heating a coffee bean. Naturally, I wanted to share this with everyone. So, I bought a table and some pour-over coffee equipment and began hosting free coffee pop-ups at my local rock-climbing gym.
As the journey continued, it evolved into bottling cold brewed coffees and selling eight-ounce roasted coffee bags to my friends. In 2016, I quit my full-time job as a video producer and went on a year-long road trip to travel around the country in my Toyota Tacoma and rock climb in the most beautiful places. So naturally, my coffee adventure stopped, having to leave all my equipment in Los Angeles.
Fast forward to the year 2023. I am now a full-time climbing coach and love what I can do for people by inspiring youth through climbing. But in the back of my mind, I’ve always dreamed of having my own coffee cart.
The itch came back in full force having experienced San Diegos coffee scene. Specialty coffee shops have exponentially multiplied. With this boom, the quality over quantity will naturally suffer. What was once a slowed-down process had to be sped up again to meet margins and sacrifice quality.
I began to see this gap and was fired up again to dive back into a dream I once had. I invested in a new pour setup and began hosting donation-based pop-ups at my climbing gym to raise money for an espresso machine and cart. After a few pop-ups, the idea of creating coffee mocktails with cold brew emerged after experiencing a drink at one of my favorite coffee shops, Mnemonic Coffee.
This is where things took off. I created a few different offerings that are inspired by classic cocktails. The cold-fashioned, the cold brewloma, and the cold-blooded sour are some of my flagship drinks. These drinks take cold brewed coffee, and I pair them with different natural citrus flavors that accentuate the coffee’s flavor rather than hide it.
The smile and bewilderment that the flavors give people when they first try these drinks continues to drive the passion for coffee. I hope to really lean into this and hope to bring this to a larger audience some day!
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?
The biggest struggle has always been time and money. This has always been a side gig for me. Living in La and San Diego, the cost of living is quite high. So, having to work a full-time job while trying to create something special takes a toll on your body.
In 2023, my car was caught in a car arson fire at 3 am. This set me back a lot because I had just invested in new coffee gear some of it was caught in the fire.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My full-time job is a Program Manager at a climbing gym. I oversee all the climbing instruction for youth recreational and competitive climbing, adult programming, and adaptive climbing instruction. I am a big rock climber and love the community and the challenge it provides.
My goal in this space is to help people realize their potential as not only a climber but as a person. Climbing has been a massive part of my life. It has made me more confident and brought me to my closest friends.
Having traveled around the world to not only explore outdoor climbing myself but having competed and coached high-level competitive climbers has been something I’ve been proud of.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory was when I felt I was meant to do more. I daydreamed a lot about being a professional baseball player, I remember I was at the park, throwing a ball up in the air to myself hoping the little league team practicing would notice me.
I remembered my dad asking me a few days later if I wanted to try out for a baseball team. This didn’t stick out to me at the time, but looking back its special to me, because my dad notice that I had something in me.
Pricing:
- $6.50 – Cold Fashioned
- $6.50 – Cold Brewloma
- $7.00 – Cold-Blooded Sour
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/naytonrosales
Image Credits
Lindsey Kreider
