The HYB Story: How It All Began!

What started as an intended side hustle, ended up being a complete career change for our CEOs, Dan and Lori Malay.

Going back in time to the early 2000s, Dan had recently left a seven-year career in law enforcement to join staff in the athletics department at a private Christian K-12 school in Fort Lauderdale, while also pursuing a degree in Theology at Palm Beach Atlantic University. With both of these career adjustments, there also came the opportunity of summers off, bringing Dan and Lori back to their hometown of Long Beach Island (NJ) to visit family.

One summer, Lori's parents asked a simple question that changed the trajectory of their plans and dreams, "Why not start a summer business on LBI to supplement your income?"  That's the nudge that led them to dive into the world of entrepreneurship before even knowing what the business would be.

"What is missing on LBI and what can we bring to the community?"

Coffee. The answer that began what we know as How You Brewin Coffee Company today. Lori realized that coffee was the key to not only meeting the desires of the LBI community, but also knew that LBI lacked a true specialty coffee brand at that time. 

Without knowing much at the outset, Dan and Lori began the deep dive, not only about the coffee industry but about business. They both recognize this as a blessing now, because through figuring it out along the way, they navigated both challenges and success with the desire to learn and grow.

Since 2004, Dan and Lori have both fallen in love with the coffee industry and all that it entails, desiring to build a community-driven place that encourages deeper relationships with our team and our customers. A term that we call, one-anothering. 

Ultimately, coffeehouses serve as true hubs of the community. Thus, our newest mission launch describes this desire:

Curating a hub of one-anothering with every cup.

Of course, we're about providing a quality product and perfecting specialty coffee, but moreso, we are about the environment that we create and the people that fill it. From the first bite of a toasted pastry to the last drop of your coffee, we want to create a space that is an extension of your living room, a social center and a place where deeper relationships are forged.

Today, we are constantly seeking opportunities to multiply the heart of our mission; desiring to find awesome people who emulate the vision of one-anothering, Dan and Lori are in the transition to move from operating shops to mentoring other to operate shops. 

We want to personally thank each customer, friend and fellow dreamer who has helped build the heart of How You Brewin along the way. Without you, we wouldn't be where we are today. Now, we continue the HYB story!