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Santa Cruz

Coffee California

Interview: Verve Coffee Roasters co-founder Colby Barr

Colby Barr co-founded Verve Coffee Roasters in Santa Cruz with Ryan O’Donovan in 2007. Since then, the partners have emphasized impeccable sourcing at the Farmlevel and high engagement at the Streetlevel. This holistic approach...
Coffee Santa Cruz

Verve Coffee Roasters: These Caffeinated Roots Still Have Life

When Colby Barr and Ryan O’Donovan founded Verve Coffee Roasters in 2007, they started by the beach in east Santa Cruz. They later opened a stand-alone roasting facility, and just before Thanksgiving, they debuted...
Coffee Santa Cruz

Verve Coffee Roasters (Downtown): Raising Santa Cruz’s Game

In casual conversation and interviews, pretty much every barista, café owner and specialty coffee roaster claims mutual respect. It’s almost as if these companies aren’t actually competing for caffeinated dollars. Still, with all the...
Ice Cream Santa Cruz

The Penny Ice Creamery: Comforting + Seasonal in Santa Cruz

It didn’t take long to learn whether it was worth the wait at The Penny Ice Creamery, an artisan ice cream parlor from chef Kendra Baker and Zachary Davis in downtown Santa Cruz. We...
Coffee Santa Cruz

Interview: coffee pro Jared Truby (Verve Coffee Roasters)

We first met Verve Coffee Roasters standout Jared Truby in 2009, when he was competing in what was then the Western Regional Barista Competition. This year, he claimed the crown in the expanded Southwest...
Coffee Santa Cruz

Verve Coffee Roasters One and One: Splitting the Shot

Splitting a shot of espresso isn’t exactly on the same level as splitting the atom, but in the specialty coffee world, where change is measured incrementally, by degrees, it’s still pretty exciting. Santa Cruz-based...