Meet Jacob Ibarra | Managing Director of Tenfold Coffee Company

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jacob Ibarra and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jacob, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Culture Building – We are a young company (20 months old) and I have spent a lot of time in this second year thinking and trying to teach Tenfold’s culture. I believe culture is a consistent and united belief in what the company stands for and which informs our behavior and specifically how we serve our community and customers. I believe our culture is what our community has recognized as different and have enjoyed.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a coffee buyer by trade. I have spent years visiting countries and farms to build relationships and find beautiful coffee. I have also been on the producing side with a company called Long Miles based out of Burundi. Long Miles collected coffee from hundreds of farmers and then processed them in their two washing stations. I handled the Global Sales and Quality Control for these two washing stations and it was an amazing experience to become intimate with the producing side of the coffee supply chain. Creating an equitable supply chain is a huge part of Tenfold’s mission and has been informed by all my travel.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would definitely show them our Heights Community. I think it’s one of the more prolific hospitality neighborhoods in the city. We would visit Better Luck Tomorrow and Johnny’s Gold Brick for cocktails; have some bbq at Loro’s and a beautiful meal at Squabble. Then, to work some of the food and drink off we’d walk the bayou trails for a little exercise.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Foremost, I have to give a shout out to my family who has been generous in spirit and so supportive as we launched this start up. As for companies, I left a wonderful Australian company named 5 Senses that really informed my thinking around coffee, business and people. And, if you have not read Small Giants, it is a must read. It was very influential early on in the formation of my thoughts and strategy for Tenfold Coffee, both the cafe side and wholesale/roasting.

Website: tenfoldcoffee.com

Instagram: @tenfoldcoffee

Linkedin: @jacobibarra

Image Credits
Vincent Mercer – Focused Bloom Photography