Ready to know more about San Diego?

Subscribe

Incoming: James Coffee Co.

A local musician moonlights as a coffee roaster from his North County garage

By Nate Martins

Incoming: James Coffee Co.

David Kennedy roasting coffee

David Kennedy roasting coffee

From his garage in Poway, a rock star is quietly roasting coffee. David Kennedy made a career in music; the guitarist for Box Car Racer and Angels & Airwaves has traveled worldwide with his bands. But the industry is a fickle beast. “You have to have something besides music,” says Kennedy. For a time, that was furniture building and metalwork. But traveling led Kennedy to see coffee as a chance to connect with people and create something with his hands; parallels between his passions became obvious. He started roasting on a 1970s popcorn machine, but has since upgraded to a US Roaster Corp shop-size roaster that perfectly cooks beans sourced from Mexico to Guatemala to Ethiopia. Kennedy and his brother/partner, Jacob, purchased a Honduran farmer’s entire crop for an exclusive batch. Want to get your hands on James Coffee Co.? Visit the online store to buy beans, t-shirts, and mugs or Hyde Edwards Salon for wholesale beans. Kennedy is also slowly introducing his product to the scene via art shows and charity events. It’s a welcome pace, compared to touring. A physical location is also in the pipeline. jamescoffeeco.com

Share this post

Contact Us

1230 Columbia Street, Suite 800,

San Diego, CA