WHO WE ARE

 

JAKE SMITH

Jake is co-founder of Homage Coffee Source and serves as the organization’s head of sourcing and sales. You can usually find him around a cupping table, doing any outdoor activity, or working with our producer partners to find a home for their carefully cultivated green coffee.

Jake’s passion for quality coffee comes from his desire to understand and celebrate coffee and the people who help it come to life. In college, Jake helped start a roasting company with a few friends. The experience ultimately led him to move to origin, working for one of the leading coffee producing companies in burundi.

During Jake’s time in Burundi, he managed washing stations and supervised quality control, working closely alongside farmers. The experience opened his eyes to the power coffee has to revolutionize families and their communities. Filled with this realization, Jake feels the obligation to further foster the transformational power of coffee by connecting producers and roasters who elevate and honor the craft.

Jake has experience managing coffee quality, has spent time as a head roaster, and has served as a green coffee buyer. His exposure to the different stages of coffee development has only strengthened his appreciation for the artistry and care that goes into making unique, quality coffee. He is Also a Certified q-Grader.

 
 

KEATON SCHAEFFER

Keaton is co-founder of Homage Coffee Source and serves as the organization’s director of OPERATIONS & FINANCE. You’ll typically find him trying out new strategies to optimize operations, managing the coffee supply chain, reading a book, or fixing pretty much any computer issue.

Keaton graduated from Texas A&M University and worked with Jake to realize their college dream of starting a roasting company. As a roaster, Keaton experienced the ability of coffee to bring communities together and create a feeling of belonging. He now brings that vision to Homage as the company looks to unite producers and roasters to celebrate what we have in common as global citizens.

As an entrepreneur in residence at Startup Aggieland, Keaton’s background includes experience as a business development strategist and IT consulting.

Keaton’s return to coffee was fueled by his deep-rooted passion for the product, the industry, and the people who cultivate its value. He is motivated by deepening relationships, increasing quality, and utilizing coffee’s global footprint to honor and serve coffee farmers, roasters, and consumers.