74 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {food coloring} curve are through the roof. “There is no way to get experience in owning a business,” Nathan confides. “It’s sink or swim—and we are swimming. We are going to do whatever it takes.” The line out the door on the weekends suggests Nathan’s all-night roasting sessions have paid off. “It’s fun to see people really like the beans and come back every few days,” he beams. With limited kitchen space, Nathan roasts the eight varieties of light to medium-dark blends through the early morning hours. He says bags of beans are flying off the shelf. “There has been no shortage of challenges,” Nathan confesses. “Keeping up with coffee production and making steady, consistent batches is just one example.” The husband-and-wife team met during a college gap year program at Joshua Wilderness Institute at Hume Lake, California, where they began going on coffee dates, driving over an hour to a cafe to sample their favorite blends. Siera, a veteran barista, convinced Nathan of the importance of the taste of each cup and introduced him to coffee culture. “Siera opened my eyes to compare and realize that quality matters,” Nathan says. While Nathan and Siera may be young entrepreneurs with a whimsical brand, they are serious about coffee in all of its complexity and are on a mission to make their mark in the roasting world. “Coffee is kind of like wine,” A disco ball sparkles against a yellow ceiling, the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans hangs in the air and canary-colored chairs greet me as I step into a cafe in San Carlos. This is not your monochromatic, subdued coffee shop. Groovy Goose brings a lively and playful twist to the independent, craft roasting genre. After opening in August, 26-yearold owners Nathan and Siera Conte’s passion and learning words by JENNIFER JORY • photography by PAULETTE PHLIPOT COFFEE groovin’ to the grind
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