So what was the Austin coffee, like, landscape like back then when you started?

Oh, so I've been doing coffee for 23 years, and Austin coffee scene is absolutely f- fascinating, you know, 'cause you had these '90s sort of like coffee sort of like pioneers in Austin.

You know, you had, uh, you know, Texas Coffee Traders, And- Andersons.

You had your Mojos, your Metro, your Spider House.

Okay

... especially coffee's such a small community in the beginning that we all knew each other, whether it was, like, locally in Austin or across the US or even across the world.

So I think at that point it's like that's what makes Austin really special.

I think we kind of have, like, it was a very friendly competition between everybody, and we all were friends, and so, you know, playing around with, like, latte art competitions and drinking coffee at each other's cafes, so I think that's kinda what makes Austin unique.