Our Story
About Surf Cafea
Kelly and Andreea fell in love with specialty coffee when they lived in Europe a few years ago. They found a little neighborhood coffee house that served coffee in a simple cup, single size, with only one type of sugar. They were curious about this naked coffee, stripped of all syrups, cream and artifices and amazed at how great the coffee tasted. When they came back to Huntington Beach they wanted nothing more than a simple cup of coffee that tasted as good as it did back in London. There wasn’t any available in their neighborhood so they thought, why don’t we make it… Kelly started playing with a popcorn style coffee roaster on the patio, they later bought a La Marzocco GS3 to play with in their kitchen, they started spending their vacation taking classes on roasting, cupping and brewing and when they thought the coffee they made tasted good, they asked – why not share it with others?
Coffee is so intimately embedded in most people’s daily ritual, it feels like it should be respected and cherished in a very special way. That’s why we opened this little shop across the street from the beach… we dreamed of a place that felt special, cozy and welcoming where we would serve delicious coffee and real food with a smile. When you come at Surf Cafea, you dive into the coffee experience, there are sights, textures, and smells that invite you and embrace you with the promise of a good day.
Meet The Owners
Kelly and Andreea Moyes
Owners and Operators
Andreea first fell in love with coffee as a little girl thanks her to grandma. She fondly remembers drinking milk with a spoonful of coffee that was brewed in her grandmother's Turkish Ibrik. Every afternoon, after carefully mixing two teaspoons of finely ground coffee into the tiny red Ibrik her grandma would brew the coffee on a stove top. Once the coffee was ready she would pour the coffee into her dainty coffee cups for Andreea and herself. From that point forward, coffee vividly reminds Andreea that smell of afternoons in my grandma’s kitchen.
Andreea has completed the SCAA bean to cup and barista basic and intermediary training. She is a huge advocate for what SCAA is bringing to the industry. By implementing the standardized approach to tasting, roasting and brewing coffee professionals are able to calibrate and benchmark coffee beans and brewing methods. She is believes that these standards create the possibility for quality coffee and ensure that Surf Cafea displays the Golden Cup every time.
Kelly's first memory of coffee comes from his childhood. Every morning his parents would brew their dark roasted "coffee in a can." Despite the fond memory of smelling the brewed coffee, Kelly could not stand the bitter and ashy taste. Later on, Kelly began trying various franchise coffee companies, and had similar sentiments-- the taste was unappealing. It wasn't until 2012 where Kelly's perspective on coffee was forever changed. While living in London, he and Andreea stumbled into a specialty coffee shop called Monmouth Coffee. Kelly and Andreea quickly noticed a significant difference. After trying their first drink they began to inquire why this coffee tasted so pleasant. After a few more visits, they saw the process of small-batch coffee roasting, high quality pour over techniques, hand crafted espresso beverages and more. From that point forward, Kelly wanted to devote his efforts to mastering all things "specialty coffee."
After returning to the US, he began his training under Boot Coffee. His training included direct mentorship from Marcus Young and Willem Boot, SCA Roasting Courses, and Basic Barista Skills. However, Kelly did not stop there. In order to ultimately pursue the perfect cup, he went on to officially attain the Q Grader and SCAA Advanced Roaster credential. Kelly carries an incredibly robust and dynamic perspective on all things coffee and is proud to offer to Surf Cafea only the very best.