Community Highlights: Meet Kyle Evans of Cielo Coffee Roasters & Penrose Espresso Bar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Evans

Hi Kyle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started in Specialty coffee in 2009 in the warehouse of a local Kansas City Roasting Company. I was just picking orders and stuffing boxes but after about 6 months I was promoted to Roaster’s Apprentice. Shortly after that I was promoted to Head Roaster where I earned the title of Master Roaster. At this point I had fallen in love with coffee. All the unique countries from where coffee was produced, all the nuance that could be found in different regions from within the same producing country, it was all so fascinating to me! I needed to learn as much as I could.

My next move was to go more customer facing. I found myself managing the most incredible little Soda Fountain / Snow Cone / Espresso Bar in Kansas Cities Westside. I learned how to better engage with customers about coffee and started to see how coffee can work in a broader culinary context. I am still so inspired by the owner and her vision but there was still more I needed to learn about coffee.

In 2013 I accepted a job in Honolulu Hawaii where I would be setting up Roasting Operations and managing a small team of roasters. This was an incredible opportunity to learn more about coffee as an agricultural crop. Hawaii is the only state in the US to commercially produce coffee and the company I was working with also operated a farm on the Big Island of Hawaii in Kona. I learned first hand about harvesting, processing, storage, transportation, inventory management and sourcing. It was during this time I earned my Q grader certification, something like a sommelier but for coffee. I also learned how to surf, poorly.

It was also in Hawaii where I would meet the liaison to my next adventure in Coffee, the office life. After three years in Hawaii learning everything I could. I was offered a job with a company based in Northern California. So we packed up and made the trip to California. Quite the departure from roasting. sourcing and tasting coffee everyday I now found myself sitting in an office further developing and honing my forecasting and inventory management skills. Learning how to work and communicate with a larger team and learning the ins and outs of operations.

I now find myself with new inspiration and another thirst for knowledge. This time, inspired by my wife and twin toddlers, I am eager to learn the owners role. I want to build something that I can pass on to my family. Something that maybe gives us the excuse to travel and learn about together about the incredible people and places that participate in the business of specialty coffee. I hope to build a business that we can together, as a family, grow and share for future generations.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh goodness no. I would say each step has come with it’s own unique challenges, some greater than others. After working as the sole roaster at The Roasterie for years I experienced burn out, big time. I thought I’d leave coffee entirely thinking I should pursue something “more realistic”. But, that is when Little Freshie came along, easily the most inspiring moment in my career …so far. BUT Even that came with a bit of a failed start as I was not actually the first candidate chosen for the job, but it worked out in the end. I had to learn to not take things so personally, to stay positive, to keep your doors and mind open to opportunity, especially when it is something you really want.

But, I would say some of the greatest hardships were not always related to work pursuits. Learning when and how to prioritize life over work is something you have to learn how to do. I think I have gotten better but there is no doubt I am still learning and working on how to prioritize my life and family over my work. I am very passionate about what I do, I love it. I want to share my passion with as many people as I can, but I can not lose sight of why I am doing what I am doing and who is standing with me as I do it. We all need partners, people who support us. Learning to listen to them, learning to prioritize them is what keeps me inspired and passionate.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I suppose you could say I am a Coffee Professional. Currently I am the owner of Cielo Coffee Roasters. Established in February of 2024, Cielo Coffee Roasters is a Boutique Coffee Roaster within the Specialty coffee industry focused on sourcing highly traceable, in-season, green coffee and roasting them to their greatest flavor expression. Focusing first on responsible and intentional relationship based sourcing practices Cielo is building a unique, one of a kind, menu with offerings focused on single producers, family, and co-op produced coffees with emphasis on traceability. Cielo is dedicated to partnering with fine dining restaurants and quality driven cafes to offer coffees that showcase the culinary art and craftsmanship of coffee producers from around the world.

I am also managing partner of Penrose. A unique one of a kind Espresso Bar adjoined to the fine dining restaurant. Novel. Located in Kansas City’s East Crossroads of the Arts District. Being able to partner with an incredible team of chefs like Jessica Armstrong, Ryan Brazeal and Hanna Lewis gives us a truly unique, professional and well curated menu with the intention to inspire moments of surprise and discovery. Something truly like nothing else in Kansas City.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Oh man, I struggle with this one a lot. I was not raised to take risks but I do believe I have had a more fulfilling life because of the risks I have taken. I’ll give two specifics that I feel were risky moves.

The first was the move to Hawaii. Moving to Hawaii, a place I knew nothing about (aside from a visit as a freshman in the High School marching band) was very risky. My wife and I were newly married and we did not have much money saved for the move and knew only one person, but we did it. And I am not going to say it was easy, and in the begging it wasn’t. But the truth is that risk paid off. It made us stronger and it taught us how to better prepare better.

The second risk is still very new and has not evolved yet to say if it was worth it or not. That would be starting Cielo Coffee Roasters. At this stage of life this might be the equivalent of moving to Hawaii. Raising two small children, starting a business and managing the operations of another is a lot to take on. But, I know, so long as I apply the lessons I have learned, find ways to stay passionate and keep my inspirations close to me, it will be successful.

Risk brings challenges but also opportunity. In general, we choose risk, which means we can plan for and mitigate the severity of potential negatives and plan for and increase the potential for positives.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cielo_coffee_roasters/