01
Olin Patterson
Co-Founder. Lives in tropical agroforestry. Flies to the Philippines four times a year. Has opinions about cherry moisture content.
Co-FounderGreen Program
No. 005 / Story
Est. 2025 · Ocean Beach
Story
We built a cafe around the species the industry forgot.
Excelsa is the third species of coffee. For decades, specialty coffee pretended it didn't exist. The cafe is our answer to that — a room dedicated entirely to it.
01 — Why a cafe
A bag of beans doesn't explain itself.
We started Excelsa Coffee in 2023 as a roastery and DTC brand. People bought the beans. They also had questions. What does excelsa taste like? Is it actually coffee? How do you brew it? Can I try one cup before I commit to a 12oz bag?
Three years in, the answer became obvious: open a room. One where anyone walking in from the beach could order a cup, ask what they were drinking, and leave knowing more about the third species of coffee than they knew walking in. That room is this cafe.
It's also where we do our best work — cupping new lots, training wholesale accounts, running classes, meeting growers when they visit. The cafe is the roastery's front door.
02 — Timeline
Three years, one flagship.
2023
Excelsa Coffee, Inc. founded
Michael & Olin incorporate. First container of green excelsa lands at Long Beach.
San Diego
2023
Batch 01 ships DTC
12 oz single-origin Philippines. Sold out in 9 days.
Online only
2024
Wholesale program opens
First 20 café accounts. Green bean program begins for independent roasters.
20 accounts
2025
Niagara Ave lease signed
4,200 sqft on Niagara Ave. Build-out begins. First La Marzocco installed.
Build-out
2026
Excelsa Cafe opens
Our flagship tasting room. Every drink 100% excelsa, roasted down the block.
Open now
03 — The team
Small team. Specific obsession.
02
Michael Mazzotta
Co-Founder. Former lead roaster at Ritual. Drops all batches within a 1.8°C window. Teaches our brewing class twice a month.
Co-FounderHead Roaster
03
Erika Meyer
Head Barista. 2024 SoCal Latte Art Champion. Runs the espresso program and trains the team. Will beat you at chess.
Cafe LeadSince 2025
04 — The case for excelsa
"The coffee we grew up with is running out of land to grow on. By 2050, half of the world's arabica-growing land could be unsuitable. Excelsa offers a climate-resilient path forward — and it makes a damn good cup."
— Michael Mazzotta, Co-Founder · Excelsa Coffee
05 — Visit
Come taste it for yourself.
You'll understand in one sip why we built a whole cafe around one bean.