Jones Coffee Roasters is one of the oldest coffee roasters in LA. But the Jones family has been involved with coffee much longer, with their family owning a coffee farm in Guatemala for generations. Before Chuck Jones – the founder of Jones Coffee Roasters – started the roaster, he drove around the US and Canada with a truck, trying to sell his family’s green coffee.

Now they have multiple locations throughout the Pasadena, CA area. They continue to use their family’s coffee from Guatemala as the backbone of their offerings, but also build relationships with other farmers to import their coffee, from places like Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua, and more.

It’s easy to see how Chuck was able to take his interest in coffee from nothing to a successful business; he exudes a passion for his work that gives energy to everyone around him (and not just because he gives them coffee!). While we cupped coffee it was great fun to hear him talk about his mother, who has been a champion of women’s rights in coffee, his roaster, who together with Chuck has helped the company continue to learn and improve their offerings, to the store managers, who are almost as excited as Chuck when he finds a new antique chair on the side of the road to add to one of their stores.

When they can, Jones Coffee direct trades their coffee. They love to visit farms and bring people with them to learn about the producer-side of the industry. When they don’t direct trade, Jones works with importers that they trust and know to take care of the farmers they work with.

Jones Coffee doesn’t have a marketing budget. Instead, they invest in their community and get their name out there with in-kind donations. They are happy to offer their coffee to schools or non-profits to fundraise new initiatives. They enjoy working with similarly-minded local businesses and are constantly looking for new ways to be involved in their community.