Founder's Story

Once upon a time there was a US Marine freezing his ass off on the rifle range in 29 Palms, CA so he decided to get a cup of coffee to warm his hands. He eventually drank some of it, sort of liked it, then became addicted, then became a connoisseur. Many years removed from the military and living in a "van down by the river" (so to speak) in Boulder, CO he learned that one could roast coffee with an air popcorn popper. Being the frugal musician he was, he decided this was the most economical, yet creatively inspiring way to support his habit so he picked one up at the local Target, ordered some greens from the internet and embarked on a 15 year love affair with fresh roasted coffee. It just so happens that those 15 years of coffee roasting also coincided with three other important overlapping experiences: 4 yrs worth of evenings for a MBA degree, 10 years of finance and operations leadership in a successful tech startup, and 8 years of supporting his wife through the creation, evolution, and sale of her own tech startup. What do you get when you combine over a decade of coffee roasting and business management? Hilarity and Tin Top Coffee Co.

Still not seeing what a toy top has to do with any of this? Maybe this will help.

Fresh roasted coffee supported Tin Top's founder, Kent Nowlin, through the most important events in his life from family to business and as cheesy as it sounds, he actually believes coffee can be a catalyst to well-being. How you may ask? Ritual. The consistent coffee ritual each morning of pausing, reflecting and engaging while preparing and enjoying a cup of coffee has led to thousands of meaningful conversations, important realizations and timely decisions. He likens this ritual to spinning a toy top. Each spin is simplistically gratifying yet consistently short. It reminds us that life is a journey and if we take time each day to "Spin the Top" we are more likely to piece together a satisfying one.