Mara Chen
Founder & Head Roaster
Former barista champion who traded competition travel for the quiet rhythm of the roast curve.
About us
Rooted in Portland, driven by craft
Ember & Oak began in a garage in 2018 with a borrowed roaster and a stubborn belief that coffee could be better — more transparent, more personal, and more connected to the people who grow it.
Our roastery story
What started as weekend experiments became a full-time obsession. Mara spent two years cupping hundreds of samples before pulling the trigger on our first commercial roaster — a twelve-kilo Probat we still use today, affectionately named “Ember.”
In 2020 we opened the Alder Street café, designed as a window into the craft: guests can watch beans drop, smell the roast, and talk to the person who sourced their morning cup. No mystery, no marketing fluff — just coffee and the people behind it.
Today we roast about 400 pounds a week, ship to forty cafés across the Pacific Northwest, and still taste every batch before it leaves the building. That hasn’t changed, and it won’t.
The team
People behind the cup
James Okonkwo
Green Coffee Buyer
Spends half the year visiting farms in Central America and East Africa, building relationships that last decades.
Sofia Reyes
Café Director
Creates the guest experience — from the playlist to the pastry case — with the same care she gives every latte.
Taste what we roast
Browse our current lineup — single origins, blends, and seasonal releases.