Summary
Overview
Todd Carmichael and JP Bertie share the story of founding La Colombe Coffee Roasters, one of America's pioneering third-wave coffee companies. Starting as baristas in Seattle in the 1980s, they moved to Philadelphia in 1994 to build a specialty coffee business focused on sourcing directly from farms and serving high-end restaurants. After nearly losing the company to a private equity firm that wanted to rapidly expand cafes, they pivoted to innovative products like draft lattes, eventually growing into a billion-dollar company. Their journey spans from hiding from fire inspectors while roasting coffee illegally, to revolutionizing ready-to-drink coffee beverages.
Todd's Difficult Childhood and Early Drive
Todd Carmichael grew up in eastern Washington state with a bipolar mother working as a cocktail waitress and an absent father. Facing food insecurity and instability, he developed an intense fear of poverty and a determination to escape his circumstances. He earned a scholarship to the University of Washington through cross-country running and took a job at Starbucks warehouse, which sparked his interest in coffee. Despite his difficult background leaving him academically unprepared, Todd pushed himself hard in school, driven by fear that he would develop bipolar disorder like his parents.
- Todd's father left when he was born, and his bipolar mother struggled to maintain employment, working as a cocktail waitress in truck stops
- The family was 'food insecure' - Todd and his three sisters often went hungry and moved frequently
- Todd got a scholarship to University of Washington for cross-country running despite poor academic preparation
- He took a job at Starbucks warehouse moving coffee sacks, mesmerized by the exotic place names on the bags
- Todd feared he would develop bipolar disorder in his early 20s and felt he was 'against a ticking time bomb' to learn as much as possible
" I had a globe that my grandfather gave me, and I studied it and studied it and studied it. And I started these dreams, and they weren't monetary. It was more like I wanted to live. I wanted to live a life. And I knew it couldn't happen there. "
" I had this deep fear of being in a trailer. And it was real to me. "
Meeting JP and Dreaming of Coffee
Todd met Jean-Philippe Bertie, a French flight student working as a barista, at a Seattle music venue in the late 1980s. JP, who grew up comfortably in Nice, France, had come to Seattle for flight school but found himself increasingly drawn to coffee culture. The two bonded over food and began dreaming about starting the world's best coffee company, one that would source directly from farms and bring coffee to a culinary level for high-end restaurants. While JP was initially noncommittal, Todd became determined to make their dream a reality.
- JP grew up in Nice, France where his father ran a successful fruit and vegetable supply business serving restaurants
- JP came to Seattle for flight school and started working at Torre Fassione Italia, a pioneering Italian coffee shop
- Todd met JP at a grunge concert when JP ordered champagne wearing a silk vest - they bonded when JP asked to use Todd's gas stove
- They spent three years cooking, drinking, and dreaming about starting a coffee company that would source directly from farms
- Their vision was to be 'purveyors' bringing coffee to a culinary level for the coming restaurant renaissance in America
" He orders the champagne. And I said, are you this Jean-Pierre guy? And he goes, Jean-Philippe. And then the next question is, he goes, do you have a stove? I said, yeah, I have a stove. And he goes, can I use it? And I'm, you know, I have very little money. And I go, no, you can use it at any time as long as you cook for two. "
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