This month marks caffe d'bolla's 13th anniversary.
It's hard to capture what thirteen
years has been in a short post. It's been a family business from the
start, both Yiching and I worked the day to day from opening day -
making drinks, cleaning, baking, roasting and everything else that
comes with owning a business for more than ten years. And once Alex
was walking, Yiching moved behind the scenes, still handling baking,
a lot of our social media, and coordinating our international
shipping. While she does that, she's a full time mom teaching a
brilliant and energetic young boy the important things in life.
So now, I'm just a husband and a father
who happens to be passionate about coffee. Every day I come home,
Alex says, “Did you work hard for us at caffe d'bolla today?”
Then he asks, “Who was your favorite customer today?” Maybe it's
YOU. If it's sometimes you, or if it's been you, you'd probably know
it. Some days there are several “favorites”. Other days, it's a
blur. And, if it's not you today... maybe tomorrow.
Caffe d'bolla is an embodiment of our
family's guiding principles. Work hard, have unshakeable standards,
and strive to be the best in whatever you do. The business has always
been family and continues to be a vehicle for teaching our son about
the “joys” of hundred hour work weeks and the rewards that come
with setting the minimum bar at “excellent” and learning and
improving daily. There's a determination and a fire in him I know he
has because of what both of us have done and what each of us
continues to do.
I have roasted our coffee and espresso
for nearly twelve of our thirteen years. And I'm good at what I
do. Every day I come in, I taste and adjust our current espresso
until it's pulling just right. And I do it throughout the day. I've
done it thousands of times because your first sip matters. So every time you come in to have an espresso,
macchiato, a latte or maybe take the time to sit down for a siphon coffee know
that what you are tasting took thousands of hours of roasting and an
equal number of hours making drinks at what's proven to be world
class standards, and there's a reason for that. Love of craft and
love of coffee is best as a shared experience. So, thank you for
coming and letting us share what we do best with you. I'll see you
tomorrow.
