Daniel Whitaker

“Everything seemed to be on track but life has a way of throwing challenges your way. And when you have those moments alone that's when you realize you’re not in full control of what you think and we need that quiet time both physically and mentally to be open to change.I’ve had a pretty positive outlook on life because of what I’ve been through. I started coffee coming up about 7 years ago. When I was in high school, still homeless, there was a little café in the inside the basement of a church called Horizon Park Chapel and from there I worked for Starbucks for a few years and moved to Seattle with Starbucks. I quit three weeks after, then while in Seattle I worked for several other coffee shops and roasters. Then I moved to Spokane and worked for Café Affogato. I just wanted more out of coffee and ended up throwing the first TNT throw down in Spokane. While I was there, I was trying to pursue more in coffee and expand my knowledge. Doing it personally, you can only get so far, so I sought out baristas and eventually coffee roasters I looked up to.It was at Roast House where I learned so much about coffee. Not just the origins, but also the botanical history of coffee, coffee drinks, and all that crazy stuff. And from there that’s when it all blew up for me. I got connected with a ton of people in Seattle. It’s so wild because you realize how big the community is in specialty coffee. My pursuit now is through getting certified by the SCAA as a certified roaster and then getting back into roasting. With Foolish Things, I’ll be getting to do that with roasting chocolate and then some.I want to be in Education – Topeka is a certification facility SCAA. That’s where I want to be. I’m going to school for business and would love to eventually open up my own shop. I really feel like where coffee is right now and where it’s going to be for a while – wherever you go to get coffee, you’re never paying for just the coffee. Ever. That’s my belief. You’re paying for the environment that comes with the coffee. I want to create a place where the environment you’re in doesn’t devalue or increase over the coffee. I want them both to be parallel and the set standard. I feel like it’s possible. You can have the best coffee in the fuckin’ world but if you don’t have good customer service or the right space, you’re lacking. You can have the coolest build out with the modern bar, and your coffee could be shit. There is always somewhere that you’re going to lack. We’re human and we’re going to error, but I feel like in coffee there doesn’t need to be a falling out.”

[vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid grid_id="vc_gid:1470205211610-03e92f97-1531-6" include="2093,2098,2092"][/vc_column][/vc_row]After knowing each other through the wonderful world of Instagram, we had the pleasure of getting to know more about the coffee culture after visiting Daniel at the various coffee shops in San Diego where he was our barista. What you may not know is that he's an incredible illustrator and has a way to capture vulnerability through ink and paper, he at one time was a photographer and videographer, and has some model experience as well (can you say quadruple threat!?).As an all around artist with an entrepreneurial mindset, he is beginning to embark on his new journey in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he will continue his education in business as well as pursue his long time passion for coffee at Foolish Things Coffee Co. We are lucky enough to have spent more time with him in the moments before he left San Diego, and Daniel has reminded us through his stories that though there may be struggle in our lives, that there is also strength that comes from it. He's onto bigger and greater things, and we are so excited to follow his journey as his nomadic soul is traveling across states as we speak!