NAMPA, Idaho – So how does running a tire shop translate into selling coffee?
“Okay Don, a little secret. I wasn’t much of a coffee drinker before I got into the coffee business.”
That’s Ryan Stewart’s honest answer when asked what he knew about coffee before taking over the reins of a popular coffee chain in the Treasure Valley.
Stewart was running a Big-O Tire store in Wyoming when one day, while on a business trip to Boise, he realized the weather here was a little better for him than it was in Riverton, Wyoming. So he packed his bags and moved to Treasure Valley, thinking he would do the same in Idaho. This never happened. But after a short stint running some self-serve car washes, an opportunity presented itself. moxy java,
“We didn’t necessarily own a coffee shop, but we were really interested in the process behind warehousing and distribution, the cool stuff and really figuring out how stuff is made.”
Stewart is all in”buy idahoprinciple, which means buying and selling locally is a win-win situation. In fact, he buys sugar for the powder used in his specialty drinks from the Amalgamated Sugar Plant in Nampa, which happens to be right across the country. across the street from their warehouse.
“It’s a unique thing to Idaho, that we’re so rich in agriculture and so rich in production, that we can partner together to support our industry and employ our people. It’s really great.” It’s good.”
And if you ever meet Ryan at his Moxy Java, feel free to ask him about his life in the tradesโbecause he still knows tires, just like he knows the right blend of coffee.
