Our story · Escondido, California
A story of coffee,
resilience, and curiosity.
We’re Marlette’s Coffee Company, a specialty coffee roaster in Escondido, North County San Diego. Our story began with a frying pan, a little curiosity, and a reason to keep trying.
2018
Before there was a company,
there was a frying pan.
And a trash can. Our first roasts were barely drinkable, but they were just good enough to make us want to try again.
Curiosity became a hobby. We learned, experimented, and started sharing coffee with family, friends, and neighbors. Each roast gave us another reason to keep going.
December 2019
Then life changed.
The day after Christmas, a house fire displaced our family. Our oldest son, just five at the time, alerted us that morning.
In the days that followed, our community showed up for us. We have never forgotten that support.
2020
Finding something familiar
in an uncertain time.
A few months after the fire, the pandemic arrived, all while Marlette was pregnant with our third child. Life had turned upside down.
Through it all, coffee remained a familiar ritual. We kept learning, kept roasting, and kept sharing with family, friends, and neighbors.
“There were so many opportunities to push roasting aside, but instead it became something grounding.”
Fourteen months later
Home again.
Still curious.
After 14 months of rebuilding, we returned home as a family of five. Coffee had kept us grounded during times of uncertainty and connected us with the people around us.
Coming home gave us room to look ahead. The coffee we had kept sharing was now part of something larger: the relationships that had helped us through.
Showing up for us again
Home was more
than a place.
One of the moments we carry with us is our son’s recognition at school, alongside the firefighters who helped save our home. Our community showed up for us again, surrounding our family with care and helping us feel at ease.
Returning home was one part of finding our footing. Feeling supported by the people around us was another. That sense of connection stayed with us as we imagined what came next.
2024
A new chapter.
Our name on the bag.
We carried that connection forward. In 2024, after years of learning and sharing, we officially launched Marlette’s Coffee Company. What began as a home roasting experiment had become a way to bring people together.
Our first branded bags marked a new beginning, carrying that same curiosity and care into every coffee we shared.
Rooted in community
Giving back through
the coffee we share.
This community has given so much to us. Bringing good coffee to the people around us, and helping them enjoy it, is how we carry that care forward.
Today, we roast specialty coffee in Escondido with that purpose in mind. From choosing coffees and roasting them with care to helping you brew a cup you love, we want to be part of your coffee journey.
Here for your coffee journey
Your taste comes first.
Approachable specialty coffee with high standards, personal guidance, and no gatekeeping.
01 / YOUR TASTE
Start with what you enjoy.
We begin with the flavors and roast levels you already like. When you’re curious to try something new, we help you explore from there.
02 / OUR CRAFT
Care you can taste.
Careful sourcing, formal training, continued learning, and hands-on roasting guide our work. We inspect every roast by hand.
03 / PERSONAL GUIDANCE
Confidence beyond the bag.
You don’t need an elaborate setup to enjoy specialty coffee. We offer practical guidance for the equipment you have, so you can brew with confidence.
Our purpose
To serve the community that has given us so much with thoughtfully sourced, carefully roasted coffee and personal guidance, from choosing a coffee to brewing a cup you love.
The people behind your coffee
Meet Marlette and Jesse.
Marlette Vater · Roaster
Hospitality meets science.
A former registered nurse with a degree in mathematics, Marlette brings care and analytical curiosity to coffee. She is an SCA-certified roaster who trained in Copenhagen under Morten Munchow, with nearly 3,000 roasts under her belt.
She loves helping people discover coffees they enjoy and brew with confidence. A fitness enthusiast and mother of three, she brings that same energy and curiosity to family life and continued learning.
Jesse Vater · Behind the scenes
The man behind the curtain.
An engineer by day with a background in software development and solutions architecture, Jesse brings his curiosity and technical experience to the work behind Marlette’s Coffee.
He establishes green coffee sourcing relationships, manages the website, and keeps inventory organized. From the early patio experiments to the details that keep the company running, he’s been part of the journey from the beginning.
Specialty coffee doesn’t mean specialty equipment.
Thanks for being part of our story
Find your next favorite cup.
Explore our coffees, or discover the local places where you can find a bag of Marlette’s.