It started as a personal pursuit.

I've been serious about coffee for years. I bought the machines, learned the process, chased the upgrades and went a long way down the rabbit hole. What surprised me was where it led. Even with the best equipment on my counter, the hardest part was still the coffee: roasted exactly the way I wanted it, exactly when I wanted it.

I tried subscription after subscription. Most felt like an add-on to a café business. Some asked me to make too many decisions; others didn't let me make any at all. I got coffee I didn't choose, on a schedule that didn't match how I actually drink it. Too much one month, not enough the next. The model was broken.

So I built something different. Above Ground is not a subscription box and not a café. It is a roastery with a concierge, where every member has a direct line to the roaster. You tell us what you want: a single origin, a blend from our roaster, or a recipe of your own. We roast it after you order it.

I'm at every cupping, and if a coffee doesn't clear the bar, it doesn't go on the menu.

Membership is by application, and there is a waitlist. We keep the roastery small on purpose, so that every member has a real relationship with their concierge. It isn't for everyone, and it isn't meant to be. It's for people who grind their own beans and want their coffee handled by someone who cares about it as much as they do.

My hope is simple. That when your coffee runs low, getting more takes no thought. That what arrives is better than you expected. That Above Ground becomes part of your rhythm, not one more thing to manage.

If that sounds like you, you're exactly who I built this for.

P.S. Can you figure out the meaning behind the name?