OUR
STORY
FROM
EUROPE
TO THE USA
2016
"Where it started"
Our coffee is roasted in Austin, Texas, but the story starts an ocean away. Two friends open a little café and roastery in Slovakia, a small country in the heart of Europe (let's leave the East vs. Central debate for another coffee). Me? Not in the picture yet. I'm behind a bar, shaking cocktails and carrying plates, blissfully unaware that this tiny coffee shop is about to hijack my life.
2022
"From bar to barista"
Their barista was an old friend of mine, and we had a deal. She'd help at my bar, and I'd run orders at Blue Mondays. I swore I'd never leave the bar. Famous last words. In 2022, she and the owners ganged up on me, and I said yes. Self-taught barista, zero regrets.
2023
"Learning by doing"
We clicked, at work and over way too many after-shift talks. Behind the espresso machine, I was hooked. Every shift turned into another round of latte art practice, with plenty of wonky hearts before the first clean tulip. Then came the deeper stuff. Roasting days with the owners, cupping, picking coffees and deciding what goes on the menu next. Somewhere in between, I also built a brand-new food menu (our cinnamon buns became a local hit, thanks, Grandma). And I started knocking on doors, selling wholesale to cafés, bars, barbershops and wellness spots.
Late 2023
"The first try"
Next big dream? My own brand of biltong and jerky. Yes, dried meat. The guys were in, and I got a crash course in how a real business works. Costs, suppliers, margins, spreadsheets. The project ended up in a drawer, but the lessons came with me.
2024
"Fast Coffee & Slow Tattoos"
Then I pitched my wildest idea yet, a tattoo walk-in inside a coffee shop. The owners said, "It's all yours." No pressure, right? It turned into the first event of its kind in town. Artists tattooed for 16 hours straight, people hung out all day, and our limited event blend, a nod to our motto "Slow Down," sold like hotcakes. Two lucky bags even hid €200 vouchers. Test passed.
2025
"One question"
The owners were getting ready to move to the US. Then, out of nowhere, they asked, "Hey… want to come to America and start something too?" I'd dreamed about the States since I was a kid, so I didn't even let them finish the sentence. "Yes! Why not?" They had one condition. "Show us a plan worth backing, and we'll invest." Challenge accepted.
May 2025
"6 AM, Manhattan"
Many sleepless nights later, I landed in the US for the first time. At 6 a.m., I laced up and went for a run through Manhattan. Childhood dream, checked. I knew right there that this was where I belonged. Only one thing was missing, and that was good coffee. There I was, standing in a fast-food spot with a sad cup in my hand, when it hit me. Coffee. The thing I know, love and can't stop talking about.
TODAY
SORRY ABOUT MONDAYS™
Months of planning, research, suppliers and one very big roaster later, here I am. America loves flavored coffee, but most of it tastes like a candy store exploded. I wanted real specialty coffee with natural flavors. Austin felt right. It's young, full of startups, warm, and the BBQ doesn't hurt. My partners back me as investors and non-managing partners, while the brand and the daily grind (pun intended) are on me. I'll always owe them for the chance.
