“Welcome to the process” painted in white on a dark wall welcomes guests into a Long Beach coffee shop. The aroma of roasted coffee beans permeates the entire space, with the predictable hum of refrigerators and compressors cycling on and off. Since 2009, Rose Park Roasters has been roasting and selling coffee to empower home brewers, because they believe the best cup of coffee is brewed at home. And now it will be brewed at ݮƵ. 

image shows student smelling coffee beans
A Biola student smells coffee beans at Rose Park Roasters

ݮƵ partnered with alumni Andrew Phillips (B.A. ’03, M.A. ’08) and Nathan Tourtellotte (B.A. ’04) and founders of the coffee shop to launch a specialty blend of coffee chosen by the Biola community. The coffee, labeled the Biola Blend, will be served in the on-campus coffee shop Common Grounds starting on Feb. 25, Biola’s 117th birthday.

The two businessmen met while they were students at Biola, living on the same dormitory floor and running in the same circles. After graduating from Biola as undergraduate students, they both moved to Long Beach, making that city their primary focus for the next chapter of their lives. Tourtellotte served in the Los Angeles Police Department and Army Reserves and Phillips began working on starting the business that would become Rose Park Roasters. It didn’t come without its complications, but despite difficulties, the business partners saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

Phillips started his coffee career at age 13, when he got his first job working with coffee, and during his time as a Biola student he was a barista at Common Grounds. Now his specialized coffee blend will be served to Biola students every day from the very same shop in which he worked.

“To be able to offer something to Biola is even more fun because I was an assistant manager at Common Grounds,” said Phillips. “And so to offer something at Biola is a real fun experience for me.”

Image shows Rose Park coffee bags
Rose Park coffee bags lined up

His hope for the Biola Blend is to bring people together, which happens daily in Common Grounds. Opened in 1994, Common Grounds has been providing students a place to land in between classes, offering not only good coffee, but a socialization hub spot. Phillips strongly believes in the relational aspect coffee can provide — the Biola Blend served in Common Grounds is a perfect pair.

“[Meeting over coffee] can be a very stimulating conversation or just a connection experience between people over something. And so I hope the [Biola Blend] coffee can be both things,” said Phillips. “I hope it can be a moment of pause and solace for those that just need a ritual. And I hope it can be a connective experience for those that want to connect over something.”

Phillips was involved in the process of identifying the exact coffee combination that would become the Biola Blend. A group of students from the Biola Coffee Lovers Club were welcomed into his shop for a “cupping” experience — a dedicated time to compare multiple varieties and flavors of coffees in one sitting. The students narrowed down the options to two, which the larger Biola community then tasted and voted on for what would become the Biola Blend. The beans that make up the Biola Blend are from growers in Brazil, where Phillips has visited to do his own “cupping” for Rose Park Roasters. The coffee business has taken Phillips across the globe and taught him many lessons.

Phillips received his master’s degree in spiritual formation and soul care in Talbot School of Theology, which he considers one of the lifelines he clung to while growing a business. The program enabled him to navigate the challenges of life and build a business from the ground up while remaining rooted in his faith. He explained the most significant lesson he kept with him from his journey while earning his degree was allowing himself to experience the growing pains.

“Allow disappointment; allow growth. A lot of growth is not the feeling of euphoria or success even, a lot of growth is the feeling like ‘oh, this feels like death’ and to not be afraid,” said Phillips.

While the business world had its challenges, the passion behind creating a great coffee experience was never lost on Phillips and Tourtellotte. Phillips sees coffee as “connective by its very nature,” bringing people together while also offering moments of solace — like his own quiet mornings with a cup in hand before the day begins. For him, coffee is about connection, community and empowerment. That is why the phrase “welcome to the process” greets customers at Rose Park Roasters, emphasizing the journey over the destination.

“[Our] goal is to be supportive, to equip, to empower, and to be a positive part of someone else's story, and to just better equip them to serve in the ways that they want to,” said Phillips.

In celebration of Biola’s birthday on Feb. 25, Biola’s new signature coffee blend will be served on campus, with a launch event happening under the Biola Bell Tower with free cupcakes to enjoy with a free cup of the Biola Blend. Enjoy it year-round in Common Grounds or buy a bag of the Biola Blend online to brew at home starting Feb. 25.

To learn more about and apply to the Master of Art in Spiritual Formation and Soul care, visit the website.

Written by Sarah Dougher, media relations specialist. Interview conducted by Anna Butterfield, producer of special projects. For more information, email media.relations@biola.edu.