We were lucky to catch up with Jeff & Karen Prugh recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jeff & Karen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Everything good begins with a strong passion for something. Ever since Karen was fourteen years-old, she has been passionate about coffee. And ever since Karen first introduced me (Jeff) to an amazing cappuccino over a dozen years ago, I have shared that same passion. Every time we travel, we search out the best shops. When we lived in New York back in 2014-15, we immersed ourselves in the coffee culture. So, upon moving back to the South Bay in late 2015, facing a career crossroads, and with our first child on the way, we saw a need for more specialty coffee closer to home (Hermosa Beach at that time). While we had no idea how Hi-Fi Espresso would be received, or if it would ever “work”, or if guests would turn up (and it definitely took a minute), we shared a genuine passion for coffee, for community, and for friendship. That was the impetus, and we dove head-first with unbounded innocence and love.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Karen and I both come from creative backgrounds and endeavors: a fashion school degree followed by the hairstyling world for her, and graduate film school and independent film production for me. So, everything about our business begins with an eye toward the creative. The look, the feel, the aesthetic. How things flow overall.

All fine goods that we offer and sell on our retail shelves are products that we ourselves love to use. And we are constantly in awe of other company’s branding.

From a business sense, we are proud of the fact that we started as a single-roaster, exclusively offering Counter Culture Coffee back in 2017, and have now grown into a roaster ourselves, first experimenting with cupping, sourcing, and roasting our own beans nearly four years ago. In fact, we are aiming to open a new roasting space in Los Angeles in the new year.

But hands down, what we are most proud of personally is the incredible connection we have made with the South Bay community. Guests have become regulars, and regulars have become friends. Each crew member at our shop is beyond sweet and downright genuine. Their daily friendliness and hard work truly are to thank for growing this culture.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Spring 2015. While standing in line at a FedEx Kinkos, a small book caught my eye. “Steal Like An Artist” it is called. The first page I opened to read, “Side projects and hobbies are important.” I purchased the book. Took it home and read it in one sitting. What was my side project?, I wondered.

Summer 2015. Billie, our strong yellow lab, was pulling us down the street. Karen casually mentioned, “I see us owning a retail shop one day.” Retail shop?, I thought. “What the heck would we sell?” (Other than all the things we love).

Spring 2016. We moved back to California, and with Karen several months pregnant, we moved in with my mom (as you do). All we could talk about was coffee, coffee, coffee. Why were we talking so much about coffee? We were obsessed. Lightning struck. This was our “retail shop”.

In New York, you don’t know which came first — coffee shop or plant shop? Coffee shop or leather goods shop? That was cool. That is precisely what we wanted.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

It’s funny. When you are on the inside, you never know how you are perceived on the outside. When a new restaurant opens in the neighborhood, you know exactly what the consensus is: does the community love or loathe the food? How is the staff? Is it hard to get a table? How long is the wait time? Is the music too loud or just right? Can your mom read the menu under the dim lights?

But when you are that restaurant, you honestly have no clue what everyone in the community is saying. Or at least, that’s how we’ve always felt.

So, you put your head down, and you do the work. And you work hard every single minute of every single day. And when you’re in the shop, you pick your head up and try to be as genuine and nice as possible. And you try to serve the best cup of coffee as possible. And keep the cleanest space as possible.

And the next day, you try to improve upon the day prior. After all, we are very much still a work-in-progress. And all you can hope for is that guests appreciate all of the above.

There’s probably a better way to build our reputation, but that has been our move, at least.

Contact Info:

• Website: hifiespresso.com
• Instagram: @hifiespresso and @hifiroasters
• Facebook: /hifiespresso — Though we don’t use this much
• Linkedin: We should probably be on this :)
• Twitter: /hifiespresso

Image Credits
Photo of cold brew bottles — Tiffany Gibson Wells; Photo of painting on wall and retail shelf — Ally Hansen