Most couples would consider working together a nightmare, but that doesn't apply to Ally Walsh and Casey Wojtalewicz. In addition their love for one another, they have an equal passion for exquisite coffee. By "exquisite," -- to avoid confusion -- we mean brews "marked by flawless craftsmanship or by beautiful, ingenious, delicate, or elaborate execution."
Even though Ally is busy globetrotting to model and Casey drumming for Wildling, they don't spend their off time just snuggling in their Venice, CA abode. Instead, the duo created Canyon Coffee this year with a goal to supply beans so premium that they can be enjoyed black. Spreading the love further, Ally and Casey only offer the certified organic coffee beans, always pay fair trade rates, and aspire to do direct trade with farms to better stabilize unpredictable farming conditions.
Want to learn more about Canyon Coffee? Check out our interview with Ally below (yes, she's just as charming as you'd imagine).
Why did you join the coffee industry?
We love the coffee world. There’s so much innovation and creativity—from sustainable farming practices to beautiful architecture, to latte art. The common thread is passion. We wanted to be a part of it. Canyon Coffee came out of our love for two simple things: the ritual of making coffee at home, and travel.
We love your design aesthetic. What was that inspired by?
Our one-liner was “If Georgia O’Keeffe had a coffee company.” To us, that meant nature, landscapes, muted colors, timelessness. We wanted to create something simple, beautiful, and—importantly—warm.
What made you take the leap into entrepreneurship?
We’ve always wanted to start something together, from the time we met. Starting a business involves taking on some risk. But we feel strong in our commitment, and we saw Canyon as a means of doing more of the things we love in our life.
Namely, drinking coffee and traveling.
You are both creatives. How do you think that contributes to your coffee business?
The creative part is the fun part for us—it’s what we were most excited about when we started the business! Making travel guides, designing our bag, orchestrating shoots, collaborating with more creative friends. That stuff comes natural to us, and we really trust our intuition as our guide.
Also, coming from careers that deal with intangibles, it feels much simpler to have a physical product to market. It’s like having a souvenir of your vision to share with people.
Why did you pick to source your coffee in Guatemala?
Pretty arbitrary. Casey had lived there for awhile in 2010, and we just loved the chocolatey flavor we’d come to associate with Guatemalan coffees. Aside from that, we wanted to find a certified organic bean that would taste delicious brewed black!
How do you envision the business growing in the next 5 years?
Well, moving our shipping division out of our kitchen will be the natural next step!
We’re excited for Canyon Coffee to become a household name. To build relationships and see our coffee enjoyed by people all over the world. We see ourselves connecting with the farms and growers who produce our coffee, and ensuring that our company is benefitting everyone involved at every level.
We’ll still be doing what we love—traveling, collaborating and drinking good coffee. We’re so excited to see what’s in store.
