Coffee lovers can savor their java jolt with a local connection in Big Yellow Coffee. This veteran-owned, fair trade, and philanthropic company is the result of three former Coronado lifeguards, Dougie Mann, Pepper Lang, and Sam Blair, joining forces to create a brand to honor Dougie’s dad Lance Mann, who was a dedicated Coronado lifeguard for more than 20 years, a former Navy UDT, teacher, restaurateur, and most importantly, an example of a caring man, who the founders share had a profound impact on them. He is considered the “World’s Oldest Beach Lifeguard;” and as the guy’s share, “he offered guidance, always listened, and set an example as a thoughtful and humble guy, who was also a strong Navy SEAL, who inspired us to follow in his footsteps.”
All four share a love of the Pacific Ocean and incredible coffee, a part of the lifeguarding culture. “We all love a cup of coffee; because of the barriers it breaks down in a conversation or the quiet reflection it offers in the morning allowing the time and space to ponder and prepare for the day,“ reflects Blair, who pointed out that Lance has hosted generations of people around his coffee table for a cup of coffee in his home. They refer to him as a percolator purist; and I agree, after enjoying a tasty brew with this genuine Coronado legend.
Since their lifeguarding days, they have all gone their separate ways, but wanted to honor Lance in some tangible way and came up with the idea of creating a children’s book series featuring their “hero” Lance Mann. The trio started writing stories where Lance wakes up, drinks coffee, goes on an adventure, and shares wisdom along the way. They had hoped to promote the books when Lance was invited on the Jocko Podcast, where he shared his incredible story with Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL, and his listeners (listen here).
But the timing of books wasn’t right, so the idea of starting a coffee brand began percolating. “It was serendipitous that our good friend Patrick Erskine, a local roaster and owner of Heave Ho Coffee, could roast for us,” the trio commented. This allowed them to scale Big Yellow Coffee and broaden their customer reach and create a like-minded community. “We got to experience ’the jocko effect’ post-release of the podcast episode with Lance. It was awesome to see how his story resonated and was beloved by the incredibly loyal audience; and then they ordered up our coffee and loved it,” explained Blair. Big Yellow Coffee is sourced from a variety of places, including Chiapas, Mexico.
After developing the original Big Yellow Coffee blend, which is a medium dark roast, they also created the popular dark roast blend The Barbara Ann, which benefits the C4 Foundation, in honor of Charlie Keating, who was close to Lance, and named it after his boat. The medium roast Mighty Tower 1 is a nod to their bonding lifeguard years, and The Gold Coach light roast blend harkens back to the 1957 gold Volkswagen bug Lance drove to Coronado from the East Coast when joining the Navy.
“We are all about serving the greater good while having fun, giving back, and ensuring we deliver the best cup of coffee morning after morning,” shared the Big Yellow Coffee founders. Currently, bags of coffee – and swag – can be purchased online. A coffee subscription is available, but they hope to venture into retail in the near future. And, they still have aspirations to finish the children’s books and hope to connect with a publisher.
“We welcome any reader to try our coffee; we know you will love it, and more importantly, we welcome you to join our growing community and ability to give back to the veteran community and their families.”
Find further details at bigyellowcoffee.com. Check them out on Facebook @bigyellowcoffee and Instagram @bigyellowcoffee.
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