Meet the Roaster

My name is Jeremy Bradford, proud owner and sole operator of Preface Coffee. It’s been a long time in the making to be able to write that sentence and introduce myself and Preface to, well, whoever reads this. 

How to make an introduction with a brand named after my favorite part of a book?

Well, I can start with the basics: I was born and raised in South Africa; I recently became a father to my pride and joy, Elizabeth; and I’m married to the most supportive and loving partner, Anna. Together, Anna and Elizabeth make up the preface and afterword of my days. 

As the look and feel of Preface indicates, I’m enamored with the world of books.

It all started when I was a young boy, where having grown up with a hearing impediment books became my source of comfort and entry point into imaginative worlds that propelled me from my parent’s couch into the universes of Narnia or Hogwarts. As a fellow redhead, Ron Weasley was my hero. 

For most of my adult life, my love for books garnered in me a passion for academic reading and writing; the pursuit of a life in academia brought me to NYC in 2018 to pursue a master’s degree in Anthropology after studying in Cape Town. During this season, you could find me wandering the stacks of libraries, browsing through bookstores, and reading and writing in coffee shops. 

I began working as a barista in 2014, picking up jobs here and there to fit in with my academic schedule. I had been introduced to specialty coffee by friends of mine (a natural coffee from Ethiopia was the hook), and before long, I became interested in the macro and micro dimensions of the specialty coffee industry. From the supply chains and its entanglement with global politics and economics to the daily rhythms and cultures of cafes, roasting coffee became a way of living out my academic interests in an industry I had a found a home in. 

I’ve worked as a barista for the better part of 10 years now, and have had the privilege of working in some of NYC’s finest cafes. I began roasting at home about two years ago. Preface is the culmination of my journey so far from washing dishes to managing cafes, and now to roasting coffees that I enjoy drinking. I have much to learn, and many more coffees to taste.

I hope that you, dear reader, will join me on my journey with Preface. 

JB