Red Whale Coffee exclusive sit down w/Sean Boyd, CEO and Master Roaster
I entered Red Whale Coffee and provided my order. I tried to speak as clearly as possible through my mask, something quite challenging these days. The mission was to meet with Sean Boyd, founder and CEO of Red Whale Coffee. As I scanned the area, my first glimpse of Red Whale’s leader and “chief engineer”, was seen through an open door as Sean was putting a fix on an intricate system of equipment, something I had not experienced since my days in the engine room of a U.S. Navy Destroyer.
What I was witnessing could only be described as the true reality of Red Whale’s story which is reinforced by the actual image on Red Whale’s logo. The Red Whale is designed with a look of “determination”. Throughout our follow on discussion, I couldn’t help but notice that every inch of Red Whale has been hard fought, heart felt, and built on a foundation of true love, grit, and a desire to capture the imagination of those who are lucky enough to walk through the front door and taste their award winning coffees.
Our discussion was located at the Red Whale coffee shop in Tam Junction. Designed by Sean and built during a time of great challenge for any business, every square foot of space was purposely built for function, efficiency, and most importantly for its customers to experience.
Sean and I spoke briefly as his day would be continuing back in San Rafael where much of Red Whale’s operations occur. As a “newbie” blogger and interviewer, I attempted to ask a very simple question on what Red Whale coffee meant to him. However, in an instant the script was flipped! He looked me in the eye and said, “Why don’t you tell me what it means?”. Honestly, I wasn’t prepared.
No matter, I had surely faced a few unknowns in my career so I just said what I felt in my gut. To me, Red Whale Coffee is a community and a home. While the coffee is world class and commands a tremendous following, the shop at Tam Junction is that physical space to come together as a community or as it’s called locally, the Red Whale Pod.
Red Whale’s story began in 2003 and has risen to the occasion, award winning coffees in tow. But in 2020 when many businesses succumbed to restrictive lockdowns, Sean steered his ship the only way he knew, right through the storm. He kept every employee who wanted to stay during the COVID lock down period and faced enormous challenges in the build phase of the Tam Junction location. But, after a long arduous year, Red Whale opened its doors at Tam Junction in November 2020.
Sean’s leadership was immediately apparent and I’ll use my favorite analogy to explain. To be a ship captain in the United States Navy, one must endure a grueling career learning and becoming an expert in all areas of a warship including engineering, weapons, navigation, and operations. This as I came to find was the analogy I needed for what I was witnessing. As I observed before our conversation, his aptitude for knowing not just his business but the engineering behind the systems powering every aspect of the process from roasting to pouring was akin to a captain at sea. I mean he is the CEO and master roaster! We spent some time on this topic as he explained that if anything goes wrong, he needs to lead his team through triaging those issues quickly, and being that expert in an imperative. Relax everyone, Sean is at the helm.
That scene I witnessed walking into Red Whale’s Tam Junction location of Sean leading his team is just one example of what you will find at Red Whale Coffee on any given day. If you asked me again what it represents, I'd probably add that it is actually a commitment to those entering Red Whale’s Pod, that you will never be without a community and will taste some of the best TAM COFFEE you ever had!
Red Whale Coffee
Tam Junction, Mill Valley
Located @ 247 Shoreline Highway