JOSH ESTEY (BEAR & COFFEE)
JOSH ESTEY is the creator of the coffee joint Bear & Coffee. A coffee afficionado, avid cyclist & also a photographer
JOSH ESTEY: “I Am not a coffee snob."
[interview.takahashi / pics.josh estey docs / April 2015]
You started dealing your coffee products in car free day and gathers crowd with a unique way to prepare the coffee.. What differs Bear & Co from other coffeemakers out there?
Bear&Co isn’t your normal coffee dealer, we pride ourselves on doing everything by hand. That started with us riding our bikes to Car Free Day loaded with everything we’d need to make make fresh brewed coffee. This included 25 litres of water, a stove and hand grinder. We were on the street making the freshest coffee possible using Hario V60’s and educating the public about the finest Indonesian coffee, roasters and brewing methods. We also offered cold-brew which was pretty unique at the time as most Indonesian’s had never even heard of it.
But what really set us apart was the fact that Bear&Co was family run. This project started with an idea to build a coffee bike and the whole family was involved with it’s creation, every step of the process was discussed and decided by my kids. Heck, they even learned how to cup! And doing something as a family is really what makes Bear&Co special for me.
You also an avid cyclist, having delivered your coffee products using your bike throughout jakarta's dangerous traffic. Wht are the ups and downs of bike delivery? Tell us some crazy or funny stories..
Bikes are a great way to get around Jakarta, and there is nothing dangerous about it. In fact, it is safer to ride a bicycle than a motorcycle and the cost for fuel and parking are free. I encourage more people to ride bikes in the city because Jakarta’s drivers are actually very friendly and happily share the road.
As far as delivering our cold-brew via bicycles, really there is no other way. Bikes are part of our lives and when either myself or my trusted side-kick and talented brewer Rendy show up at your office hand delivering an order of our cold-brew you can be certain every bottle was hand crafted with passion just for you.
About your cold brew products, what differs it from the usual cold coffee other coffee shops serve?
From the very beginning of operations on the street we offered cold-brew coffee. Because it was new to anyone other than the most steadfast coffee drinkers we felt it was a market we should expand into. Cold-brew is a magical process of cold brewing coffee for up to 24 hours, leaving you with a coffee concentrate that is smooth, low in acidity and high in caffeine. It’s really one of the yummiest ways to drink coffee and in a tropical environment is really refreshing.
When we opened our first brick and mortar store in Pasar Santa we decided to feature only cold-brew as there was already plenty of delicious hot coffee on offer. I ended up building Indonesia’s only Nitro cold-brew bar. Literally this thing was built by hand, my hands. So our motto isn’t a joke, we take “Hand Crafted” seriously.
Today we feature our signature Grizzly and Nitro cold-brew that has the body mouth feel of a Guinness beer but is 100% coffee and alcohol free.
We also offer milk lattes, chocolate mixed drinks and variety of delicious custom made cold-brew concoctions.
We are open only on Saturday as we do have day jobs and the kids still attend school. But if you come on Saturday between the hours of 4-8pm you will be served by either the kids, their mom or myself. So it truly is a family run project. And the kids are super adorable to watch behind the bar.
You can also order our bottles for home delivery every Friday! And if you watch our Instagram you’ll see where we are bottles are popping up all over town.
Bear & Co has a consistent image with the logo, product graphics and t shirts that you make. Do you do all the graphics yourself?
One of my old friends, Erick Sulistio from JED Creative, was kind enough to lend his talent in designing our logo, which I absolutely adore. The logo shows a bear, a bike, coffee beans, and a hand grinder, all crucial elements of who we are.
We should've ask this first: What is the origin story of Bear & Co? Who are the bears?
Let me give you the long story; I was in Ethiopia on assignment (I’m a photographer) and kept passing women on the side of the road roasting green beans in a pan, pounding them in a mortar, and brewing it on the spot for local drivers. I thought about this and figured, Indonesia has coffee and I love bikes, why not start a family project. So I came back and asked the kids if they wanted to give this idea a go. They were totally into it and over the next six months I read everything I could about coffee and learned even more from experts in the field. At every step of the way the kids would be consulted and we developed this idea together. Then when it came time to choose a name I asked the kids what we should call it? My middle daughter Xenia who was 10 at the time told me that since the project was theirs it should be named after them. And they are our three little bears, so Bear&Co was created.
What do you think of the coffee snob culture in Jakarta?
Truthfully coffee is a simple or complex as you want to make it. And for some that means 3-in-1 coffee from a packet while others want a Ethiopian single origin from a siphon. But do I think coffee people are snobs, NO. I have found the majority of folks love to share their knowledge and want to talk about their passion. I think this is what makes coffee so accessible to everyone, it’s an introduction into appreciating the finer things in life and that is kind of magical. Sure you can always find a grumpy person in every industry, but usually the arrogant folks know the least about coffee and the truly knowledgable ones are the nicest. So don’t be afraid of asking dumb questions and claiming ignorance because if you are truly interested people will bend over backwards to help. But also remember, if the shop is really busy even the nicest folks might not have time to chat for 10 minutes about the intricacies of cupping.
Should more coffeeshops educate it's consumers about the coffee lifestyle so they stop ordering frappios and ask for wi fi in big coffee chains?
I am not a coffee snob, I think all kinds of coffee are to be enjoyed. Heck, I love ice cream and chocolate shakes, so order what ever makes you happy be it from a specialty coffee shop to a warung kopi.
It’s interesting you ask if coffee shops should educate people about coffee, because if people aren’t willing to share knowledge and passion about specialty coffee then most people will continue to drink instant coffee. In order for third-wave coffee shops to prosper education has to be part of their mission. This means hiring, paying and retaining really good staff who are truly passionate about coffee, not just spending big money on a store’s renovation and leaving pembantu’s to man the bar.
The great thing about coffee, or tea, or food is that it’s less about the product and more about the experiences that are shared in a place. Is what makes your Mom’s cooking the best in the world the food or the love and relationship that come with it? The same goes with great coffee.
You just opened a shop in the hype Pasar Santa. How's the conditions and consumers there? We've heard many great things about the crowds and shops in Santa
The kids mother Dian Estey or Mama Bear as she is now known is the real reason we opened a brick-and-mortar shop. She saw the potential of Santa very early on and has become a driving force behind it’s sustainability as a Pasar for all people, including the original tenants. Pasar Santa has become like a family for many people, as everyone is unique and passionate about what they are doing. This has made for a very magical environment and we feel very lucky to be part of it.
Truthfully we didn’t aim to make Bear&Co into a business, we love our day jobs, but we wanted to create a place where we could help build community. And that is what makes people fall in love with Bear&Co and Pasar Santa.
I am sort of a hard ass about people being nice and having fun in Santa. If they come to Bear&Co and treat me rudely I won’t stand for it. It’s a place where you come with an open heart, a place to meet new people, try new things, have a good time and clean up after yourself. You can be rich or poor in Santa, it doesn’t matter because it’s a place to share passion and fun.
Tell us some of your favorite places for coffee and foods in Jakarta..
There are so many good places to eat and drink in Jakarta I don’t know where to begin. But exploring Jakarta’s food and coffee scene is a great way to spend time, be it in the mall or on the side of the road. So get off your computer, grab a friend, get on a bike and go exploring! Then stop by Bear&Co and let me know what new place you have found because I am always on the prowl for goodness.
What's next for Bear & Co in the future?
Bear&Co started as a passionate idea and has grown from there. People often ask what’s next, and truthfully I don’t know because it has grown organically. However, I know Mama Bear has some big plans for Bear&Co, so stay tuned to our Instagram account!
