We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Vasquez and Zachary Dripps recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley and Zachary, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a story that illustrates an important or relevant lesson you learned in school
Zach: I’m a director of photography and producer now, but I started off in film school. I had a film professor who told us that when crafting a story, it’s best if we take from our own personal lives as inspiration. If we imitate other films then we’re creating a duplicate of something that already exists. His favorite film he had seen a student make was about a garbage man that was filmed by a student who worked part time as a garbage man. I try to bring that same sense of authenticity to the company Ashley and I have created together, TBD. The labels we create and how we’ve built our brand are authentic to who we are and what we’re going through in our lives.
Ashley: In school I learned the value of a follow up question.
I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s in digital media. When I was just a young pup, first learning how to craft a story, interviewing was hard for me. I would sit down with someone, ask them a few questions, and if they weren’t a fountain of engaging conversation, I would move on to the next person.
My professors taught me to listen more closely and tug at the thread. With one or two simple follow up questions, a yes or no answer can turn into a fascinating peek into someone’s life story. It’s a skill that comes in handy when I get to meet customers. I truly listen to what they’re saying and do my best to ask the right follow up questions.
It’s helped me learn and optimize our shop, but it’s also my favorite aspect of owning a business. I get to meet new people and hear new stories all the time. It’s like I’m watching little mini movies or chatting with characters in a book.
Ashley and Zach, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
TBD Coffee Co is a fresh roasted coffee company with a big personality. We have ethically sourced, sustainably grown beans, plus we roast our coffee fresh for every order before we tuck them into their bags and ship them on their way to a new home.
In March of 2020, the night before the world shut down from the COVID-19 pandemic, we (Zach, Ashley and Marlee the Dachshund) 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.
Zach has a background in film and Ashley comes from a family of small business owners. And Marlee is super cute, so she brings a lot to the table too.
We started with our Per My Last Email Dark Roast then kept creating from there. Fast forward to the present and we’re just thrilled at how much our community has grown. 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 coffee around!
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
The 1985 Japanese film Tampopo. It’s a movie we both adore. The core story is about a woman trying to build the best ramen shop around, but the main storyline diverts into side vignettes about how food impacts various relationships and aspects of society.
It showcases how food, and in our case, beverages, can be culturally significant, bring families together and even change a person. It highlights our philosophy of maintaining the hobbyist’s approach to food where everything from where you source ingredients to paying attention to the tiny details creates a quest for quality and an end product that gives you a moment of enjoyment worth savoring.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Ashley: It all started with Meryl Streep and Corona Beer.
Zach: meaning we put in money from the jobs we were working on. I was working on The Prom on Netflix starring Meryl Streep.
Ashley: And I was working in advertising on a variety of clients from Corona Beer to Honda. It’s a fun world but I knew I wanted to build something. So we started moonlighting. Is it still called moonlighting?
Zach: I think the kids say side hustle.
Ashley: Yes! We started our side hustle, using every free dollar we could make from our full time jobs to fund TBD. Plus, we got scrappy. We created our own website, took all our own photos and put ourselves out there at all the local markets in Los Angeles to gain visibility. It was hard, but it was the first step to kicking off what is now our growing company, and a huge source of pride and happiness for our little family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tbdcoffeeco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tbdcoffeeco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tbdCoffeeCo
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tbd-coffee-co
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tbdCoffeeCo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TBDCoffeeCo
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tbdcoffeeco