Do the work, because the work will teach you.

This is me, @cardboard.erik back in 2015. In the early days, I did everything the hard way. All of our green coffee bags were schlepped by hand, all of our batches were scaled out by scoop, all of the roasting was done by adjusting little levers and knobs and our roast logger was an accounting binder with all the variables logged live as I roasted. 

Valiant - possessing or showing courage or determination.

When we named our business, we chose this name because it symbolized what we wanted to become. Even though we didn’t consider ourselves “valiant” we knew and believed with time and persistence, we could become Valiant.

Prologue

Being that this is the first in a series of blog posts about our business, I think it would be kind to prepare you, you'll find a lot in here that has to do with my life, personally.  I am unable to separate how I show up in and through my business, from how I show up as a human, a family man, a friend. I am one and the same all around.  You get what you get. As you will learn, probably much later in your blog journey through all of this, I have ADHD and Autism, and it won't be until late 2021, that I begin to deal with those.  Even then, much of the course of the business will have been determined.  I share that now to give context to how I thought and think, and operated in and through the business. I really hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have.  Good reading dear friend.

PART 1 - In the Beginning...

Valiant started as a dream.  Actually, lots of dreaming.  I was dreaming big. A dear friend of mine had just shared a DVD (back when those were still a thing) about a young man's journey "Around Cape Horn" as a novice sailor.  This film got me pumped! Here was a way of life we were so distant from. This guy in his late teens was committed to becoming a commercial sailor, when sailing was the primary mode of seafaring.  He'd practice by climbing power poles (only 30 feet or less) and trying to balance at the top, knowing full well the mast of the ships he would be on would have masts higher than 100 feet. 

Here was the story of a boy becoming a man and at this time in my life, I was looking to do the same.  I had always felt an affinity for the ocean, so never-mind that I get motion sick quite easy.  I began to dream!  I researched gaff rigged schooners of old designed by Herreschoff, the master ship builder who designed Elanor, and Ingomar, two racing schooners from the early 1900's. I read about the build of Bluenose II in Nova Scotia, a replica of the Bluenose built for a Brewery! I read about Mast brothers chocolate hiring Captain Eric who built his 65 ft Schooner on his own over 20 years! I was chuffed, if Captain Eric could build a 65 ft schooner so could I!  

This was how it started.  When I was roasting those first few batches on our little black roaster in my grandma's tractor garage in newcastle CA, my mind was far from roast science, coffee chemistry, or industry sustainability. I was in dream land.  Part of this had to do with my mental state.  At this time I was suffering from some intense bouts of PTSD from childhood trauma. These would manifest in stretches of intense detachment from reality, and emotional responses that felt like I was back in the moment of the original traumatic experience. I was not present in reality, I was not paying attention to where we were at, and that led to some serious issues in the first few years.

I will say, that without my dreaming, we would not grow, but I didn't activate my technical side until much later. Competition would bring that out, and I would learn more than I ever imagined.  I am continuing to learn more than I imagined.

All that said, when we started, I was not present nor paying attention to the 6 lbs of green coffee tumbling around in the roaster, even though it represented nearly 5% of our fledgling company's net worth.  I was not ready to improve and modify systems or packaging or design, or bring in someone else to help because in all honesty, I didn't know what I wanted.  My business partner back then was probably frustrated, I'm sure because I wasn't listening, couldn't listen to the cold hard facts of finance in business. I just wanted to dream.  So dream I did..

Until... Well until we had to get out in the world, and sell.  We were cash poor, and without any new or potential customers, we had no idea how to prospect for leads, nor how to close the sale, we just had really "Fresh" roasted coffee.  And that is when it all started to change...

To be continued...

The last few weeks have us feeling the seasonal shift. The morning air is a little less biting, the days are a little longer, and there’s the unmistakable bloom of early spring.

Seasonal change is something we welcome here at Valiant. There’s a typical ebb and flow to commerce but running a small business means that our business also represents a very real extension of our lives. Our passion and knowledge is poured into everything we do. Our humanity requires that we change to grow.

Valiant has changed and evolved over these years, growing and expanding just as we grow and expand our understanding of how to share our best work. In the last year we’ve grown our production and grown our team. We’ve pruned our systems and now we’re looking to cultivate our reach to coffee lovers near and far.

We are stepping into a fresh season and exploring some new projects and even with all the change, the things that remain constant are passion and gratitude. Passion to continuously craft an excellent coffee experience and our gratitude for you, the Valiant drinker. Thank you for sharing our passion and enjoying our work!

Here’s to new seasons and fresh starts, cheers!

P.s. If you know another coffee lover who would appreciate our craft we’d love for you to share this post and introduce your friends to Valiant!

And be sure to follow us on Instagram @valiantcoffee

We started Valiant in the cold rainy months of Fall 2014. Like you, our coffee-buying experience had led us to local shops or grocery stores that often carried well-known brands. We'd deliberate bag, brand, and origin, hemming and hawing until we'd settle on one sweet little bundle to take home.

But, as time went by and bags were emptied, we found the reward was less than splendid…

The Valiant Way is a simple one: Be Excellent.  This principle is one that permeates every aspect of our lives. Both in and out of the roastery, in our homes, in our relationships, in all that we do, our aim is to Be Excellent.

Before focusing in on our method and mindset for production, it helps to know a bit about the coffee journey...

Wednesday morning breakfast is an establishment in my house. I have an overnight shift that night so I have all morning to make an extravagant breakfast that will put me to sleep and prepare me for my upcoming sleepless night...

You know that scene in a movie where someone with a British accent offers an American tea and the American kinda does one of these -_- and says “Coffee”. It’s happened countless times in movies, so much so that I can’t even think of a single film where it’s happened but I know I’ve seen that particular exchange in multiple different situation like it’s a glitch in the Matrix or Groundhog day or something. And it’s a little weird seeing as how it’s not even grown in America except for in Hawaii...

A lot of things have been banned for starting a revolution. From kilts and bagpipes to hip hop and Facebook, what seems to be the smallest, most insignificant thing (or possibly obnoxious in the case of bagpipes) have been seen as the symbol and sometimes vehicle of a movement that can overthrow a seat of power. Ever heard of coffee being such a vehicle? No? Let's take a trip to 16th century Mecca.

  When you think London, instincts would cause you to believe the beloved morning tea is the only decent beverage around. Maybe Queen Elizabeth hasn’t quite changed her ways, but with more than 13 million people, and as one of the most culturally rich and diverse cities on this planet, the Brits hold their own when it comes to coffee.