Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Santos.
Christine, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Born out of shared love of coffee and travel, my husband and I started Boarding Pass Coffee.
We met when I was living in Brazil and spent a lot of time at his family’s coffee farm outside of Sao Paulo. In fact, we even had our wedding there. The coffee from the farm was a part of our everyday life, and as it started winning more and more awards for its high quality, we decided to start the specialty roaster featuring beans direct from the farm.
Today, we operate a Roastery & Tasting Room in Milton, with construction underway for a second location underway in Gainesville.
We love introducing the concept of travel with really great coffee to our community!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d be surprised if any small business reported a smooth ride, but we had some initial challenges with the uncertainty of COVID but luckily have managed to maintain a thriving and lively operation where the community loves to gather.
We’ve been impressed with Boarding Pass Coffee, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We have three main value propositions that set us apart from others:
1. The coffee comes direct from our family’s farm. It’s run by my husband’s brother and we visit several times a year. We love travel and hope to escort a guided tour to visit the farm in Brazil, but even if you can’t make it, we have a Virtual Reality so you can really experience it!
2. Our tasting events – led by Murilo, we walk you through a variety of coffee roast profiles. Similar to a wine tasting, we select various varieties, origins, flavor notes and roast levels to be take you on a tasting journey to explore the nuances in each. It’s really a great experience the people love this when family are visiting from out of town or birthdays for the coffee lover!
3. Travel – our cafe is travel-inspired. Not to give away too many details, but it truly transports you 🙂 Also, each of our featured roasts is named after an interesting and notable travel destination in the country from which the beans originate. We tell you not just about the coffee but the travel destination. In fact, each roast has its own postcard and visa stamp sticker. The visa stamps include the roast date, totally unique, and you can collect these in a custom “coffee travel” passport. This is a passion of mine. I am obsessed with travel. I’m typing this in my #65 country, actually on a turbulent ferry from Santorini to Athens, and love sharing how coffee and travel go hand-in-hand.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Yes – people are getting more educated about coffee. Micro roasters, like microbreweries, are becoming more common and people are learning more about what goes into a good cup of coffee from the beans, grinding, and preparation methods. And we love being part of making specialty coffee more accessible to the community
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boardingpasscoffee.com
- Instagram: Boardingpasscoffee
- Facebook: Boarding Pass Coffee
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/VGT0FiGjUtb
- Other: Brazilian Specialty Coffee high-grade gourmet Medium-Dark Roast Coffee Smooth not Bittersweet easy to drink – Whole Bean (12 oz) https://a.co/d/1tcfJMA
