MIA: How did you first get into coffee? How old were you?

WHITNEY: My coffee origin story starts when I was 16. I got my first job at Starbucks—like many baristas do—and just fell in love with coffee and the connections around it. Eventually I moved to a small roaster in Gettysburg, Bantam Coffee Roasters. I was there for a couple of years, working as a barista and managing their two coffee trucks. I loved the community outreach side of that job.