Our Story
About Ember
The Beginning
Born from
Curiosity
Ember Coffee began in 2016 when founder Maya Chen converted the back room of a Portland warehouse into a small roasting lab. Armed with a 1-kg sample roaster, a spreadsheet of flavour notes, and an unwavering commitment to learning, she started roasting for friends and local restaurants.
Word spread. What started as 5-kg batches became 20, then 50. By 2018 the warehouse had been fully renovated: a 12-kg Loring S15 Falcon became the centrepiece, the bar opened, and Ember Coffee became a destination.
What We Believe
Our Values
Transparency
Every bag we sell carries the farm name, harvest lot, altitude, and processing method. No vague "blend" marketing — you deserve to know what you're drinking.
Direct Trade
We pay 30–50% above Fair Trade minimums and visit our farm partners every harvest. Long-term relationships create better coffee and better lives at origin.
Precision Roasting
Every roast is profiled on our Cropster system, targeting bean-specific development times. We taste every batch before it ships. Consistency is not optional.
Community
Ember is a gathering place. We host monthly cupping events, barista workshops, and donate 1% of revenue to Portland food security programmes.
The People
Meet the Team
Maya Chen
Founder & Head Roaster
Q-grader, coffee traveller, and relentless seeker of the perfect development ratio. 10 years in specialty coffee.
James Rivera
Bar Manager & Lead Barista
2019 Pacific Northwest Barista Champion. Obsessed with extraction variables and sharing that obsession with guests.
Sara Kim
Sourcing & Green Buyer
Spent 5 years living near coffee farms in Colombia and Ethiopia. Speaks the language of producers — literally and figuratively.
Come and
Say Hello
We're at 42 Roastery Lane, Portland OR. The door's always open, the coffee's always on.
Get in Touch