Stephen, like many coffee roasters, started in coffee at Starbucks. His journey started in 2002, with a fascination of coffee that led him to become a black apron/coffee master in their promotional coffee knowledge-based programs. He left in 2006 and found specialty coffee in Kansas City, Missouri. Learning pour-over methods and taking in iconic roasters at the time, he grew in his passion for the product and saw what coffee could be. Beginning in 2015, Stephen spent 1.5 years living in Nepal on mission, managing a small roastery, teaching others about specialty coffee and worked with farmers to learn what goes into coffee bean production behind the scenes. In early 2017, Stephen launched Crestone Coffee Company—an all family-run business in Westcliffe, Colorado—seeking to find his place within the industry as a roaster and coffee lover. This morphed into Peregrine Coffee Roasters, which stands today as an operation of multiple team members who share his passion for coffee and overseas missions. Stephen lives in Westcliffe with his wife and four children.