Throughout history, coffeehouses have provided a place for people to gather, socialize, and share new waves of thought. Today, coffee and its consumption has become an integral part of societal norms; whether it be the morning rituals steeped around the perfect cup of joe, or the cherished afternoon “coffee break” that keeps us sustained and energized. The culture of coffee and its flavor is unique to every country and its people. We sat down with Miriah Leclerc, CEO & Founder of Revolution Roasters, based in Oceanside, California to chat about all things coffee. We are proud to serve Revolution Roasters at High/Low in Oceanside and at Cheeky’s in Palm Springs, CA, and look forward to seeing you there!

F10 - Tell us about the inception of Revolution Roasters and why you chose Oside as its home base?

ML - Revolution Roasters started out as a passion project, where we roasted coffee out of the garage of our Southern California home. We soon got our first commercial space inside a local coffee shop in our neighborhood where we roasted wholesale coffee for various cafes and restaurants, as a sideshow to our biotech day jobs. In 2013 I quit my corporate biotech sales career to pursue Revolution as a full-time job, and in 2015 I opened our flagship cafe in Oceanside, CA. Oceanside was on the cusp of major gentrification at the time - the food and beverage scene was just beginning to blossom and it was a really great time to enter the scene. Revo landed here as the first specialty coffee shop on one of our favorite stretches of the California coastline. Oceanside continues to be a budding, thriving community in the world of food and beverage and it’s been so fun to be a part of the evolution of this beautiful city.

F10 - Where does the name Revolution Roasters come from?

ML - Revolution Roasters was conceptualized around the idea that we wanted to revolutionize the way specialty coffee was experienced by our community. Historically specialty coffee has presented with a real sense of eliteness or snobbery, only offered and welcomed to those that have a high level of coffee knowledge, expertise, and taste. We wanted to make specialty coffee accessible to all walks of life..those educated, those wanting to learn more, and those that simply want a community coffee shop where they can enjoy an amazing product in a welcoming and friendly environment. We continually strive to change the way people experience and interpret specialty coffee… for us, it is *A Constant Revolution* that we want everyone to be able to enjoy.

F10 - Do you have any favorite blends or origins?

ML - We offer a variety of blends and single origins, ranging from light roasts all the way to dark roasted coffee. My personal preference is our ‘Holy Goat’, which is a single origin from Ethiopia...it is a full blueberry bomb and it’s my absolute fave!

F10 - What is your most popular drink?

ML - We are known for offering a range of specialty drinks, from our single-origin pour-overs to specialty lattes that are flavored with our house-made syrups. We make our own almond milk which is one of our most infamous Revo specialties! Scratch-making as many items as possible from the best ingredients we can source is what we are known for. My personal favorite is our house-made chai with oat milk! Our chai is made in-house with 10 different spices distilled down to a super gingery (spicy!!) concentrate. It’s the best!

F10 - We love your merch and couldn’t help but notice the boar mascot t-shirt. How did a boar come to be the mascot for Rev Roasters - there must be a story there?!

ML - My dad owns an antique shop called Uncharted Antiques in Pasadena, CA. He has a super cool style and has outfitted our cafe with the eclectic mix of decor that you will find throughout our cafe. One of the first pieces we installed at Revo is a boar’s head right over our espresso bar, which has become a signature mark of our brand as we have grown. The boar has become our little mascot and continues to pop up on our merch and branding marks - he even is displayed on the colorful 16’ mural on the wall outside of our cafe.

F10 - Tell us about some of your wholesale / restaurant partnerships and where we can find you?!

ML - We are very excited about the recent partnership with High/Low in Oceanside, and the other F10 brands out in Palm Springs, including Cheeky’s. You can find our coffee at one of our other favorite Oceanside cafes, Seaborne Coffee, as well as a handful of other cafes and restaurants throughout San Diego county.

F10 - When partnering with wholesale vendors what are you looking for in the partnership?

ML - We feel coffee partnerships are an important display of our brand “out in the wild”, so Revo is deliberate about the relationships and ethos of partners that we work with. Revo strives for excellence in every experience, and we look to work with like-minded companies that will withhold the ideals of our company within their space. We offer ongoing training for our coffee partners and staff to ensure the quality of our product that is being put out is consistent and top-notch. We are excited to partner with F10 with shared values and passion for quality and experience.

F10 - Do you have any partnerships outside of the San Diego area?

ML - Cheeky’s is our first and we are super excited to partner with such an incredible and popular breakfast spot!

F10 - Where do you get your beans from? Is any of the roasting done locally?

ML - We source most of our coffee from InterAmerican Coffee, which is a woman-owned and run company, which is near and dear to me since Revolution shares a passion for empowering women in business. We do have a direct relationship with a farm in Brazil called JC Coffee, where we purchase directly from the farm. In 2018 we visited their farm during coffee harvest season and got to learn all about their process, meet their farmers, and really dig into the coffee community there. We hope to create more direct trade relationships with other farms and origins in the coming years.

F10 - Do you have any events coming up at the coffee shop that you’d like our readers to know about?

ML - The holidays are always my favorite time of year at Revo. The cafe is decorated and festive, there’s a chill in the air but the sun is usually shining above the palm trees that line the streets of the Coast Highway. The cafe is always bustling and we have an array of Winter Seasonal items on the menu, including specialty drinks and pastries to highlight seasonal flavors. It’s a cozy and delicious time to visit.

Revolution is built around community, and we believe that coffee evokes togetherness. Revo aims to make great products, be in great relationships and live extraordinary lives. We are letting coffee lead the way.