Our Story
Hayley was raised in the Santa Ynez Valley and grew up in the beverage industry – Firestone Vineyard and Firestone Walker Brewery. Hayley’s journey with coffee began in high school with the required pre-dawn breakfast before cattle round-ups or a cup grabbed on the way out to pick grapes for harvest; continued in college sneaking coffee into the library for early morning study sessions; and then as the mother of four active children – a thermos of coffee accompanied her on the sidelines of soccer games, sitting on the beach for son’s dawn patrol surf runs, and during many school meetings. Zaca Coffee represents a long-time dream of uniting her knowledge of the beverage industry and her coffee passion to bring a piece of the Central Coast to other passionate coffee drinkers.
Dennis spent his childhood summers camping on the beaches of the Central Coast and surfing throughout southern California. His legal background took him to Washington DC and New York where he discovered his coffee passion during meetings in the White House and in the corporate offices of the telecommunications world. Back on the West Coast, Dennis has enjoyed life on his ranch where he and Hayley raise cattle, alpacas and of course, llamas. Zaca Coffee is Dennis’s statement of the rich, natural life he enjoys on the Central Coast of California.
Coffee found Rob, not the other way around. After taking a temporary job at the Specialty Coffee Association of America, his love for coffee started to take hold. Now some 12 years later he has worked for huge coffee companies doing product development as well as being the Director of Coffee for small high end coffee companies. His journey through all the levels of coffee has taught him much, but one thing has been a north star - You shouldn't have to explain why a cup of coffee is good. The world of coffee can be confusing and complicated, but at the end of the day, the drinker should love what’s in their cup. After a year of collaboration with Hayley and Dennis on a variety of beans and blends, Zaca Coffee embodies Rob’s best work…the Central Coast in a cup.
Hayley was raised in the Santa Ynez Valley and grew up in the beverage industry – Firestone Vineyard and Firestone Walker Brewery. Hayley’s journey with coffee began in high school with the required pre-dawn breakfast before cattle round-ups or a cup grabbed on the way out to pick grapes for harvest; continued in college sneaking coffee into the library for early morning study sessions; and then as the mother of four active children – a thermos of coffee accompanied her on the sidelines of soccer games, sitting on the beach for son’s dawn patrol surf runs, and during many school meetings. Zaca Coffee represents a long-time dream of uniting her knowledge of the beverage industry and her coffee passion to bring a piece of the Central Coast to other passionate coffee drinkers.
Dennis spent his childhood summers camping on the beaches of the Central Coast and surfing throughout southern California. His legal background took him to Washington DC and New York where he discovered his coffee passion during meetings in the White House and in the corporate offices of the telecommunications world. Back on the West Coast, Dennis has enjoyed life on his ranch where he and Hayley raise cattle, alpacas and of course, llamas. Zaca Coffee is Dennis’s statement of the rich, natural life he enjoys on the Central Coast of California.
Coffee found Rob, not the other way around. After taking a temporary job at the Specialty Coffee Association of America, his love for coffee started to take hold. Now some 12 years later he has worked for huge coffee companies doing product development as well as being the Director of Coffee for small high end coffee companies. His journey through all the levels of coffee has taught him much, but one thing has been a north star - You shouldn't have to explain why a cup of coffee is good. The world of coffee can be confusing and complicated, but at the end of the day, the drinker should love what’s in their cup. After a year of collaboration with Hayley and Dennis on a variety of beans and blends, Zaca Coffee embodies Rob’s best work…the Central Coast in a cup.
