Passion Profile – Josh Crane “The Coffee Ride”

Ride bikes,

People

Coffee,

Outside

Age:

Occupation:

Coffee Roaster, Bike peddler

1/7:

What makes you 1 of 7 billion?

JC:

Wow, that’s one heck of a question. For most of my life I’ve considered myself extremely average. Other than having wonderful parents that taught me the importance of being kind to others, I haven’t really had an overwhelming amount of natural talent in anything in particular. The one thing that over time that has made me different is my unwillingness to quit. Not being naturally talented and always trying to keep up has made me extremely resilient and has given me the ability to grind. From skateboarding as a kid through my early 20’s, trying a trick 1000 times before getting it right to now riding a bike and owning a business. In all these things, having to work extremely hard and never giving up has made all the difference. Lead with the heart and the body will follow.

1/7:

Originally you wanted to be a doctor, then the bike industry came calling and finally you started The Coffee Ride. What lesson(s) did this journey teach you that might help others find their passion?

JC:

This world is a wonderful place and one of the greatest things about it are all the different types of people and the uniqueness that we all bring to the table. Finding your contribution to the world is difficult, but I personally felt like I just had to keep trying. Everything from the life experiences that made me go back to school for medicine to coffee roasting and business, they all have pieces that fit the puzzle. Although I didn’t become a doctor, my goal in pursuing medicine was fueled by the desire to help others. Coffee, as it turns out, is a wonderful tool that can bring others together and put a smile on their faces. All those years of organic chemistry all directly relate to understanding the chemical reactions of coffee roasting. Each life experience adds to the next. Acknowledging that life is about the process, building upon each step you take is an important lesson. Sometimes it can be a negative experience that pushes you to the next thing. For example, my experience in the cycling world was that I rode less than when I worked in the hospital. What I did learn there was that the best parts of my day were my 20 min bike ride into work and the first 10 minutes when I would brew a Chemex of my freshly roasted coffee for all my co-workers. Our office coffee was so bad and taking the time to brew up something special made all the difference in everyones’ day. That’s where the idea of roasting coffee and delivering it by bike happened.

1/7:

What is it about brewing coffee that you like best?

JC:

Both roasting coffee and brewing require extreme precision and is an ever changing science experiment where the end result is something that can be shared with others. You can make someone’s day by brining them a freshly roasted bag or freshly brewed cup of coffee. I guess the thing I like best is not even directly knowing a person, but by sharing a cup/bag of coffee, I could be positively impacting their lives. It’s the same thing with where we choose to buy our unroasted beans from. By choosing where we source our coffee from, we can directly make a positive impact on someone or the environment on the other side of the planet. It’s pretty cool that we can all make that kind of difference with small choices.

1/7:

A lot of people are passionate about coffee, how does other’s passion for coffee help drive your own passion to brew it?

JC:

Mostly what I do is the roasting side of the coffee world. In the industry, there are a few other people that are choosing to take a similar approach to coffee that we are. We feel that coffee should be a really fun experience shared with others. Anyone can appreciate a great cup of coffee. The others in the industry that are passionate about coffee in this similar way help give positive affirmation that what we believe in our hearts coffee should be about, can be the right perspective/approach. It’s nice to know you’re not the only one out there who is unsatisfied with the way some things are.

1/7:

What barriers have you identified in life that have kept you from following your passions?

JC:

I would say financial barriers were a big reason why I hadn’t followed my passions in the past. I’ve always spent so much time working that there was never enough time to pursue the real passions. Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a dad who had a small business and I saw that working for yourself was extremely risky, but could also be very rewarding. That helped me to know that it was even an option to start something on my own. Honestly, what made the difference for me was not having any time or money. They say that you either have one or the other and I figured that I might as well be broke and have no time and at least be doing something that I was passionate about.

1/7:

What methods have you learned to use to overcome those barriers?

JC:

I’ve learned that if you really want to do something, you need to just do it. In business, you’ll never have everything perfect, the way you want it. You kind of just have to live in this place where you are constantly working on things. That is exactly what’s so cool about it too. It’s a constant evolution of education and skills. I couldn’t afford my first website so I had to learn some basic coding for my first WordPress site. If you really want to do something, you just put your head down and go for it. You’ll figure it out, especially if you’re forced to.

1/7:

Can you share your favorite inspiration quote to help motivate others?<

JC:

HAHA. Not sure if you can print this or not but I have this printed in the roastery that “nobody gives a fuck about your feelings” by Gary Vaynerchuk. Look up the video if you haven’t seen it. Basically it gives you no excuses for not pursuing your dream or passion. For me, I sometimes need a kick in the butt, and the bluntness of how he presents that quote is just inspirational for me for some reason.

1/7:

Can you share your favorite inspiration quote to help motivate others?<

JC:

In 2019 I’m working on growing the business, facing fears, moving forward, and learning from the past. We just got a brand new coffee roaster and we’ve got some great new people working with us now as well. It’s all extremely scary, but we are just passionate about sharing the wonderful euphoric and emotional experience of riding bikes and drinking coffee with others.

My Thoughts on Josh

I first met Josh at the 2018 Fall Outdoor Retailer Show. He was brewing his coffee at the LA Sportiva booth. Watching him in his nature element, it was hard not to see his passion for brewing coffee.

I stood off to the side like a voyeur just taking in the spectacle that was Josh making coffee and sharing his passion. When I saw my opening I went over to introduce myself. I had to hear his story that brought him to the show brewing coffee.

Josh was studying to be a doctor but along the way he realized he enjoyed his bike ride to school more than school itself. He changed gears to work in the bike industry but soon became disenchanted with what he found. There were too many unhappy people.

During both of these pursuits coffee was a constant. The best part of his day wasn’t the ride to work or work itself. His morning cup of joe was what he liked best. One day he realized he never had a really fresh roasted cup of coffee. He started looking into coffee and how it’s roasted and fell in love with the process. But it was just the process but how coffee made people feel he liked.

His passion was right in front of him the whole time. Now the best part of his day is making coffee for others and the happiness it brings them.