The Boy and & The Bear

OUR ARTICLE

Stroll into any coffee shop around LA and you’ll usually find a diverse menu of coffee with beans traveling as far as Ethiopia and as close as Costa Rica. But when you’re looking to really feel electricity run down your spine, you know where to look, down south in Colombia. Head west to Redondo Beach, where The Boy & The Bear is sourcing Colombia’s finest… coffee.

It takes 3,500 miles for the Colombian beans to travel to The Boy & The Bear, Redondo’s premiere coffee shop, and it’s definitely worth the journey. Owner Andres Pineros was born in Colombia and moved to the states to open his shop with the intent to show the rich and delectable nature of the coffee from his home country.

No café, no trabajo

Known as a Colombian Coffee Roastery, The Boy & The Bear works entirely with Colombian coffee farmers, many of whom are close friends with Pineros. Pineros even brings the farmers to the shop so they can see how their coffee is being produced, roasted in store, sold, and meet their customers. The farmers will even stand behind the counter discussing their work with customers, an experience that is almost entirely unheard of in the coffee game.

The décor in the shop is primarily gray with warehouse lighting and some comfy leather sofas on trendy diamond tiling. Metal chairs add a touch of sleekness, while the glass chandelier brings warmth to an interior full of cooler tones. Along one wall are shelves full of creatively designed shirts and mugs, some of which feature the resident catchphrase, “No café, no trabajo,” or “No coffee, no work,” a sentiment any coffee enthusiast will understand.

As for the caffeine, The Boy and The Bear roasts it entirely on-site four times a week. It’s naturally creamy, well-rounded, and solely Colombian based. You’ll find everything from espressos to pour overs, to matcha and pomegranate tea. They also offer Nordic Lights cold brews for those warmer California days, delectable paninis at lunch, and small pastries like croissants for the morning grub.

There’s a lot to admire about The Boy and The Bear, from the in-house roasted coffee to their team of hustlers who love what they do. But perhaps what stands out the most is the integrity of the shop which has brought together people from such diverse backgrounds – like Colombian farmers and California customers.

The California-Colombian connection has been made, never to be stolen again… Sorry, Diego.