Our Story

For those of you we haven’t had the chance to meet, let us introduce ourselves:

gloom came about like a lot of other coffee companies do - somewhat by accident. I (Alex Sciarrotta) started conceptualizing the roastery at the beginning of 2023, when I unexpectedly got the opportunity to take over the cafe I had long worked for (Narrative Coffee in Everett, WA). I had never planned to start my own company. It wasn’t the direction I expected my career to go, but for me it came with the weight and responsibility to better the life of our team. We didn’t roast coffee but it was a logical next step, and I wanted to make that happen. I also knew I didn’t want to do it alone.

My longtime co-worker, Nate Reppert, had been roasting for our good friend, Velton Ross, with hopes of being ready when the time came. We had spent years working alongside each other, and this was a chance to launch something we could be proud of. After a year or so, when we started to share what we were working on with folks close to us, two former co-workers expressed interest in joining the squad - Enter Josh Modisette and Brandon Paul Weaver :)

Over the last decade, the four of us have worked a wide variety of jobs in the coffee industry, from barista to sales rep, competitor to coach, roaster to cafe owner. These experiences have shaped our perspectives and ultimately, our values. Like many of our peers, we care deeply about furthering not just coffee quality, but also the quality of life of coffee workers. It matters to us that folks are treated well however they engage with what we do, regardless where they come from. For our employees, we want gloom to be generous, in terms of pay, benefits, and chill vibes. For our wholesale partners, we want to meaningfully add to what you do through consistency, detailed attention, useful insights for your business, and being responsive to feedback while we grow alongside you. For everyone else, we hope you enjoy these coffees as much as we do.

All that said, gloom is still new. For now, these words remain aspirations, but we at least wanted to let you know where we plan to go. This thing means a lot to us, and we hope that, in time, it will mean something to you as well.

Thank you for taking the time to engage with us. Like and subscribe.

 

For a little bit more about each of us specifically, check the tabs below.

Nate broke into the coffee industry accidentally back in 2016 while trying to find a job that hurt him less than moving peoples furniture. Fast forward to 10 years later having worked as a barista at Silvercup and Narrative Coffee, and as production roaster at Velton's, he felt it was time to take an unnecessary risk and destabilize his career in coffee by joining forces with three of his least favorite friends to start a company of which you are now reading about.

He would like you to consider buying coffee from us so that he can continue to afford to buy his cat his favorite cans of tuna as an occasional treat.

Josh here!

I had an experience with coffee in 2009 that sort of blew my mind… I was touring in a band making next to no money. I would ride my bike to whatever local coffee shop I could find that had latte art in their photos on google in whatever new city we were in, hoping I could get another coffee as good as that first experience that blew my mind.

I was obsessed (if you can't tell) with the extremely limited world of coffee as I knew it but loved sharing it with all my friends. So, I started working at a local café after my band split up and have continued in coffee ever since. I love the joy of seeing other people light up like I probably did years ago when they have a coffee that blows their mind, and especially if I brewed it for them. 

I just want to share that same experience with you all.

Once upon a time, Brandon Weaver was trying to be a smarty-pants academic, publishing articles about strange ideas that most people would never read. They especially wouldn’t read them because a search for “Brandon weaver” displayed results about a lot of people that were not, in fact, Brandon Weaver, and absolutely nothing about his articles. 

This made him sad. 

So he made the stunning and brave decision to include his middle name in the search and, lo and behold, there he was.  So it was that Brandon Paul Weaver was born. 

Brandon Paul Weaver now makes coffee.

Hey it’s me again,

My coffee career was sorta started by watching an episode of Good Eats breaking down coffee with Alton Brown. I don’t remember a lot from the episode, other than he talked about coffee like any other food or ingredient, and that it could be better or worse tasting depending on the product and preparation. I was intrigued - especially growing up in a house that really disliked coffee. I mixed some swiss miss with some coffee and cream the next opportunity I had when I was about 10 and was hooked (who wouldn't be).

By the time I was leaving high school I had figured out that some coffee tasted a lot better than others through experience, didn’t fully know why but preferred the ones that tasted yummier to me. Found myself checking out local cafes while in school, working in different trades, and building a family with my person Haley. One of those cafes ended up asking me if I’d consider working there, I did, and now many years later that cafe is mine.

Coffee has taken me all around the country, I’ve met some of my favorite people I’ve ever known through it, and I care about this product and the people that enjoy it a whole lot. Grateful to be a part of this thing with everyone that populates the industry, from enjoyer to worker - lots of love to all of ya :)