It really started
in a front seat…

Though I wish I could say it all began in the front seat of a cool 1980s truck (like the one in our logo), the truth is that the idea for Front Seat Coffee came to me while I was sitting in the front seat of a Toyota Yaris, parked on Main Street in Hardwick, trying to answer a few emails.

It was in that cramped space that I looked up, saw a "For Lease" sign in the window of what is now Front Seat Coffee — and the gears started turning.

I grew up going to coffee shops, but otherwise had no experience running one. Until then, my life had been rooted in farming — including running my own 30-acre organic vegetable farm in Amherst, MA. When I moved to Craftsbury VT, to be with my partner and look for land to start another farm, I thought I knew the path ahead. But despite my efforts, farming kept leading to dead ends. I found myself asking, "If not farming, then what?"

The more I explored the idea of opening a coffee shop, the more I realized that so much of what I loved about farming could carry over.

Just like farming, Front Seat Coffee became a way to feed my community, create common ground, and be built off my experience of running a business. 

Those first few years were quite an adventure. We officially opened our doors on July 20, 2019. In January 2020, my son Abel was born. And just two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down.

Though those early years were full of the unexpected and the unknown, we're still here thanks to the incredible community that has supported us from the start. We would not be here without you.

Thank you for being part of Front Seat Coffee.

Warmly,
Tobin Porter-Brown