LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Being your own boss is a dream many of us can appreciate. One Las Vegas man is doing it after working day and night to brew up a hot new career. Anchor Todd Quinones shows us what's percolating at Vesta Coffee.
When it's the middle of the day and there's still a line at a coffee shop, you know it's a place you must check out.
We are at Vesta Coffee Roasters in the Arts District. It is the result of owner Jerad Howard's hard work.
CAFFEINE DREAM
Howard left a great job in the tech industry to pursue his caffeine dream in 2016. He learned, as a self-taught roaster, developing flavors customers like begins with the beans.
"We source all around Central, South America, Ethiopia and Kenya," Howard said.
He started off roasting coffee at his house, on his days off from work. Howard says his humble beginnings led to an over-ambitious reach.
"I took on a wholesale account probably before I should have, and that forced me to roast coffee day and night," he recalled.
NEW LOCATIONS
But that bumpy road is now paying off.
"We've just opened our West Side location on Sahara and Fort Apache, and then we have three more that are probably within the next year on the books," Howard said.
Today, he employs around 35 people. As we told you during last week's Nevada Built, Vesta Coffee also supplies CraftHaus Brewery in Henderson with the beans they use for their coffee stout.
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"Right, when I was first getting started, I reached out to them to see if they wanted to do any kind of collaboration," said Howard. "And their brewers at the time were like, 'hey, we're trying to actually get a hold of you, too.' And it was just a great marriage."
BEYOND NEVADA
Now, he's looking to expand his Nevada Built business beyond state lines.
"Right now, we're in Whole Foods and Sprouts throughout the southwest United States, and this year we're expanding to the mountain region — so Texas, Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho," Howard said.
Twelve-ounce bags of Vesta coffee sell for around $16.
