From the farmer to the beans, the roasting to the brewing, to our service, our relationship with our neighborhood, and our impact on the environment, we are always striving for perfection. The green coffee we seek must meet our high standards, and we roast and prepare this coffee with the utmost respect to those who grew it.
Recognized as Roaster of the Year in 2012 — a national once in a lifetime award given by Roast Magazine — Bird Rock Coffee Roasters is proud to have put premiere coffee on the map in San Diego. A regular contributor to the international coffee industry, a consistent winner of scores above 90 from Coffee Review, the recipient of a 2017 Good Food Award, and with a Q-Grader certified roaster on site, Bird Rock's staff is sought after throughout the world for their coffee expertise.
Going beyond the perfect latte, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters has a top-quality roaster on site, a pour-over bar featuring the top seasonal varietals, weekly cuppings open to the public for a sneak peak into the newest offerings, and a deep dive into the selection process and all things coffee. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters goes beyond the confines of the fair trade structure and engages in direct trade with farmers, and is proud to serve the best coffee, prepared with the utmost respect to those who grew it.
Jeff TaylorOwner Operator CEO and Secret Agent of Caffeination
Jeff Taylor purchased Bird Rock Coffee Roasters from his friend and Bird Rock Coffee Roasters founder in 2017. But Bird Rock Coffee was not his first foray into coffee. Taylor founded his first coffee company in 1993 and after opening several cafes in Topeka, KS, and Kansas City, launched PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. in 1997.
By 1999 it was clear there were problems in the supply chain of coffee and finding quality coffee was very difficult. So, while working on the founding committees of the United States Barista Competition and the World Barista Competition, judging many national and international competitions, Taylor began exploring what was possible at coffee’s origins.
His goal soon became to help producers in the development of Micro-Lots and improving coffee cherry selection and processing so he could offer his customers around the United States a higher quality of coffee than was available at the time.
By 2008 Taylor had volunteered on the Roasters Guild Board, of the Specialty Coffee Association, and was on the Board of Directors of the SCAA. Now traveling and working with farmers and developing his own brand of Direct Trade, he was building lasting relationships with producers that would allow both PT's Coffee and Bird Rock Coffee Roasters to secure exceptional product lines from at least 5 different countries in Latin America.
In 2009, PT's Coffee became the 4th roaster in the United States to take home the coveted Roaster of the Year Award from ROAST Magazine. Bird Rock Coffee soon followed in 2012 with the award making Taylor and his partners the only two-time winners of the award.
Coffee excellence and his family are his twin passions. Taylor is married to Olivia “Maritza” Suarez-Taylor, Bird Rock Coffee’s Director of Quality Control and Queen of the Bean for both companies. They have a 9-year old son named Phoenix.
Maritza TaylorDirector of Quality Control
Maritza has been in the coffee industry since 1999. She began her career as a quality control analyst for the Colombian Coffee Federation (FNC) in Bogota, serving for five years.
In 2003, she accepted a position with Neumann Coffee Group in Bogota to work in Quality Assurance for Specialty Coffee. Neumann Coffee Group has 46 companies offering green coffee services in 28 countries around the world.
Maritza was one of Colombia's first four coffee professionals certified by the Quality Coffee Institute as a Q-Grader. Shortly thereafter, she became one of seven Certified Instructors of the Q-Grader Program in Colombia.
Maritza is now the Director of Quality Control for PT's Coffee Roasting Co. and our sister company, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. She continually builds relationships with producers and works to ensure that all of our Direct Trade partners are meeting, or surpassing, our quality standards.