Coffee is our love token, and we can't live without it

The last few months before launching our company, back in 2017, were a whirlwind of vision-casting and decision-making. Since quitting our previous jobs, our full-time occupation was to dream up what would eventually become Tala Coffee Roasters. Most days, the four of us sat in a circle with two chairs, a toolbox and an end table for seats in an otherwise empty warehouse. We talked about our hopes for our company, defined our values and started putting words to who we wanted to be and how.

One thing we determined early on in our branding and identity conversations was that we all found that coffee was foundational to how we showed love. Coffee, to us, was how we served our friends and family. Coffee was what we gave as gifts. Coffee was our date of choice. Coffee was how we treated ourselves. Coffee was how we showed everyone our love. This soft, noble and beautiful vision of coffee is what has informed our brand ever since.

When it came time to craft a house blend and an espresso blend we knew we wanted to exemplify our feelings about coffee in these two staples. We sat around my and Stefan’s tiny apartment table cupping samples to decide our blends. When we finally decided on the recipe, we were all obsessed with the final product. Now, we had to name our blends. We finally settled on what you know today: Ruca and Amoret.

Ruca, our house blend, means “the one you can’t live without.” We felt like this was so fitting as a house blend. Coffee is the thing you can’t live without, and a house blend is the go-to, a reliable sidekick you know will never leave.

And Amoret, our espresso blend, means “love token.” All of us felt like coffee was the thing we gave to show our love. What do you give that special someone to show them you care? A bouquet of flowers? A box of chocolate? Well for us, it’s espresso. Each and every little espresso we serve up is a love token to our Tala family.

Every year around this time—while the whole world celebrates love—we are reminded of how truly lucky we are to spend every day doing what we love with people we love. Our favorite thing about it? Sharing that love with all of you! <3