Coffee Roaster Near Me in Redondo Beach: The Boy & The Bear

The Boy & The Bear - Coffee Roastery operates its flagship coastal headquarters, known as The Black Store, at 350 N Pacific Coast Hwy in Redondo Beach, California. Founded in 2012 by Colombian native Andrés Piñeros, this specialty roaster is dedicated exclusively to sourcing and roasting 100% Colombian single-origin coffees from high-altitude family farms. For South Bay coffee enthusiasts and travelers looking for a distinctive coffee roaster near me, this striking black storefront offers an uncompromising tasting experience focused on small-batch artisan roasting and direct-trade farm partnerships.

The origin story of The Boy & The Bear spans two continents and a personal awakening. Born and raised in Villavicencio, Colombia, founder Andrés Piñeros grew up in a coffee-producing nation where premium export beans rarely remained for domestic consumption. While living abroad in Falkenberg, Sweden, Piñeros experienced specialty Scandinavian coffee roasting for the first time, marveling at the clean floral sweetness and bright acidity unlocked by light-handed roasting methods. Inspired by this encounter, he resolved to return to Colombia, build direct relationships with smallholder farmers, and roast their finest micro-lots in Los Angeles.

Unlike roasters who purchase commercial commodity blends across multiple continents, The Boy & The Bear sources exclusively from Colombia's most prestigious growing regions, including Huila, Nariño, Tolima, and Antioquia. Piñeros travels regularly to origin, cupping lots at farm gates and paying substantial price premiums directly to producers who practice selective hand-picking and meticulous washed, honey, or natural fermentations. Beans are roasted on precision drum roasters in Los Angeles to preserve volatile fruit aromatics, stone fruit sweetness, and sparkling citric acidity.

The retail bean selection at The Black Store is organized into color-coded tasting tiers. The approachable Black Series features balanced selections like Dos Quebradas for $27.00 per bag, offering rich chocolate and caramel profiles. The premier Emerald Series highlights exceptional competition micro-lots, such as the Sareni lot for $37.00 per bag, celebrated for tropical guava, floral jasmine, and sugarcane sweetness. Special collaborations, including the Light & Dark collection, retail for $48.00 per collector box, and limited guest origins like Kenya Riakiberu appear occasionally for $26.00 per bag.

The coffee bar inside 350 N Pacific Coast Hwy is designed as a focused tasting laboratory where extraction variables are calibrated to perfection. A double shot of single-origin Colombian espresso costs $4.00, extracted on a matte black commercial espresso machine into preheated ceramic demitasse cups. The espresso bursts with candied orange peel, panela sugar, and silky cocoa notes, delivering a bright, complex profile distinctly different from conventional bitter espresso blends.

Pour-over filter coffee is the true star of the tasting room. Baristas grind each single-origin order fresh on commercial Mahlkönig EK43 grinders, dose precisely by weight, and brew on glass Hario V60 drippers using temperature-controlled gooseneck kettles. Hand-poured single-origin filter coffees run $5.50 to $7.00 depending on the bean tier, yielding sparkling cups that unfold with layered tropical fruit and floral aromas as the liquid cools.

Milk-based drinks are crafted with steamed organic milk that enhances without obscuring the coffee's origin character. A traditional cortado costs $4.75, while flat whites and six-ounce cappuccinos run $5.00. Iced single-origin cold brew on tap costs $5.25, brewed over eighteen hours with cold filtered water to produce a refreshing chocolate-forward beverage. A concise lineup of fresh daily pastries, including artisan croissants for $5.25 and morning scones for $4.75, complements the coffee service.

True to its moniker, The Black Store features a bold monochromatic aesthetic that commands attention along the Pacific Coast Highway corridor. The exterior is painted in deep matte charcoal, accented by clean industrial typography and oversized floor-to-ceiling glass windows that frame the interior. Inside, polished concrete floors, blackened steel shelving, warm reclaimed wood benches, and minimalist warm lighting create a calm sanctuary shielded from coastal highway traffic.

The space is intentionally stripped of clutter to focus customer attention on sensory coffee exploration. Coffee bags are displayed like museum artifacts on backlit black metal shelves, labeled with farm names, producer biographies, growing altitudes, and processing methods. The atmosphere attracts a dedicated crowd of South Bay designers, neighborhood coffee geeks, and coastal road trippers who appreciate serious brewing craft.

Music in the room leans toward ambient lo-fi and indie rhythms at conversational volumes. Seating consists of wooden perimeter benches and compact café tables, encouraging brief contemplative pauses rather than marathon desk sessions. Baristas are eager to share detailed cupping notes and guide visitors toward single-origin lots that align with their personal taste preferences.

Located at 350 N Pacific Coast Hwy between Carnelian Street and Vincent Street, The Black Store sits just three blocks east of the Pacific Ocean in Redondo Beach. After picking up your coffee, walk west along Carnelian Street straight to the Redondo Beach Pier and harbor, where scenic seaside boardwalks overlook fishing boats, pelicans, and rolling surf breaks. The paved South Bay Bicycle Trail winds along the shoreline nearby, linking Redondo Beach to Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach to the north.

Veterans Park sits a short ten-minute walk southwest of the roastery, featuring broad grassy lawns, historic cannons, and shaded benches perched atop ocean bluffs with panoramic views of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The surrounding Riviera Village and harbor districts offer numerous independent seafood shacks, surf shops, and casual coastal eateries to explore throughout the afternoon.

Public transit riders can utilize Metro bus line 232, which stops on Pacific Coast Highway within fifty feet of the storefront, connecting Redondo Beach directly to LAX and Long Beach. A dedicated parking lot directly behind the building provides free customer parking spaces, and additional street parking is available along North Pacific Coast Highway and adjacent residential cross streets.

The Boy & The Bear in Redondo Beach is open daily from 7 am to 5 pm. For inquiries regarding coffee bean availability, wholesale orders, or upcoming public coffee masterclasses, customers can call the store directly at (310) 921-8599. Peak morning hours occur between 8 am and 10:30 am on weekends; visiting before 7:45 am or between 1:30 pm and 4 pm provides quiet counter space and unhurried brewing demonstrations.

If customer queues at The Black Store are unusually long during a weekend beach rush, an alternate option is their sister shop, The Grey Store, located in Culver City at 12712 W Washington Blvd, about twenty minutes north. When ordering, skip heavily sweetened flavored drinks, as The Boy & The Bear does not carry artificial syrups; their drinks celebrate the intrinsic natural sweetness of Colombian coffee cherries.

The cafe accepts credit cards, debit cards, and Apple Pay payments. Bagged coffees are sold as whole beans to protect freshness, but the staff will gladly grind your bag on request to match your home brewer. Branded ceramic mugs, brewing gear, and coffee subscriptions can also be purchased directly at the register or through their online store.