Today we’re excited to be connecting with Ashley Vasquez again. We’re excited to feature one of their products in our gift guide – learn more below and we encourage you to use your gift budget to support small businesses & creatives whenever possible.

Ashley, so thrilled to have you joining us again, this time to talk all about products and so let’s jump right in. Please give our audience some background on the product side.
In March of 2020, the night before the world shut down from the COVID-19 pandemic, we (Zach and Ashley) met through a mutual friend. The connection was instant. Five months later; we were crazy about each other and crazy enough to start a coffee company together.

During a tough time, it gave us a creative outlet and…interesting…date nights. What couple doesn’t love figuring out how to build a website on a Friday night? (Pro Tip: it pairs well with espresso martinis)

We started with our Per My Last Email Dark Roast then kept creating from there. Fast forward to the present and we’re just tickled pink at how much we’re loving this. The three of us bought a new home together so we could have a bigger kitchen for all our coffee-brewing and an office that our trio can work from. TBD Coffee Co has been the adventure of a lifetime.

Based in Los Angeles, California, we regularly release new themed bags. That’s why we call it ‘TBD’, because future labels crafted from our life experiences are still ‘To Be Determined’. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also The Best Damn fresh roasted coffee you’ve ever had ;)

Our mission is to elevate the coffee experience with fresh-roasted, ethically sourced beans
packed with personality.

What’s been the most exciting part of the journey of taking this product from idea to real life?
The most exciting part of this journey was when we were able to leave our full time jobs. By running our small business, we’ve been able to swift to a routine of working from our home office and not commuting to some corporate building and working for ‘the man’ and drinking cheap coffee out of a machine that hasn’t been cleaned in 8 years. Which is pretty rad.

Is there a core message, value or ethos you are trying to communicate through your branding and marketing?
Shop sustainable coffee, it’s the bee’s knees!

At TBD, we pledge to uphold 4 pillars when it comes to sourcing our coffee.

1.) We make sure that the coffee farmers we source our beans from always get a fair price for their product.

2.) We only source our beans from farms with fair and ethical labor standards. We avoid sourcing from farms that use slave, indentured, or forced child labor.

3.) We only buy Fair Trade products once we’ve established a strong enough relationship with the farm to offset the negative impacts of the program (such as the cost to the farmer).

4) We aim to make direct partnerships with small farms and all products purchased support World Coffee Research, an organization that has a true and direct impact at the farm level. The Washington Post does a great job breaking down the importance of this organization here.

What’s next on the product or brand roadmap?
We’re planning on releasing a tea within the next couple months! TBD Coffee Co…and 1 tea.