Build-Outs Of Coffee: Craftsman Coffee In Pacifica, CA

Truckin’
In a Citroen van
Just brewed up another roastin’ blend
It takes time, pick a place to ‘spro
You just keep truckin’ on…

We love few things more than a killer vintage cofee truck, capable of truckin’ up and down the backroads, serving coffee to all who love it. Today’s Build-Out takes us to Pacifica, California, where a husband-and-wife owner-operator team are living the mobile coffee dream.

The 2021 season of Build-Outs is presented by Fellow. The series is sponsored by La Marzocco, Pacific Barista Series, Marco Beverage Systems, Dona, and Sustainable Harvest.

As told to Sprudge by Judy Hayes.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed.

For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?

We are a family run roaster company serving out of a vintage 1961 Citroen HY van in Pacifica, California. We love roasting blended coffees and sharing what we love. Our truck is small but mighty and serves as our hospitable home to welcome everyone in our beach community.

advert but first coffee cookbook now available

We started home roasting about eight years ago when we realized trips back into San Francisco for specialty coffee with one-year-old twins in tow were becoming a major trek and time sucker. We moved to Pacifica out of San Francisco and found it was a specialty coffee desert. Kirk ventured into home roasting as we were spending more time at home and one thing led to the next after friends and family members enjoyed having them as gifts. Eventually we always wanted to run with our own vision and creative and coffee was the best outlet. Starting in 2017 with local pop-ups and farmer’s markets and then to grocery store… we have been growing slow and steady. We initially started with a custom coffee cart while waiting for the coffee truck to be completed. Through the many rings of fire that stalled while the vehicle was in England (Brexit to COVID), the truck eventually made its way to California in January 2020 for the kitchen to be constructed in Lake Elsinore, California. Why the Citroen HY van? We have a penchant for classics wanted a mobile vehicle that was representative of our design values.

Tell us a little more about your project!

It is a vintage coffee truck! We serve espresso and sell our beans out of our baby white 1961 Citroen Hy van!

What’s your approach to coffee?

Our house is your house. We serve what we love and hope our community adores each beverage as much as we do! Our roasting is focused on blends as we believe combining flavors completes the meal!

Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?

Two La Marzocco Linea Minis, Curtis batch brewer, PUQ Press, Mahlkönig grinder, and Acaia scales.