Now Driving: American Force Coffee

“Brewing America Forward”

Sometimes you don’t what you have until it’s gone. When Katina Ruest enrolled at the Savannah College for Art and Design, she realized that the coffee she enjoyed on a daily basis in Guatemala was not something should could expect anymore. So the next time she went back home, she brought back as much as she could.

Soon enough, she met Brandon, an Army Ranger stationed there, and her coffee became a hot commodity among the ranger men. After establishing relationships with farmers in Guatemala, the two were able to start importing enough coffee to sell. American Force Coffee has been selling single-origin coffee from Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Colombia.

Starting in January, American Force Coffee will partner with Chow and begin selling their roasts out of Maverick, our flagship truck in Annapolis, Maryland.

Purchased green in Guatemala, American Force then has the raw coffee roasted to their specifications to maximize the flavors that are unique to the high altitude conditions they are grown in.

“Each coffee has it’s own attributes based on where it’s grown, like wine. High altitude coffee in particular has much more complex taste because of the time it takes for the fruit to grow. What we look for in a roast is someone who can figure out how to highlight those tasting notes.”

Brandon and Katina moved the Annapolis area right before the pandemic, and so they feel like they’ve missed opportunities to become more involved in the community, and they are excited to get some much-needed exposure.

“I hope that we can get to know the community a little bit better. We moved here in February 2020. Everything was shut down and we never got a chance to get out there and meet people and do whatever you do when you move to a brand new town. “

Chow is proud to partner with American Force Coffee, and we look forward to bringing their incredible flavors to the Greater Annapolis Area starting in 2022!