The cup of coffee that gets you through the day may be the product of an ISU alumni.

Danny O’Neill, nicknamed the “Bean Baron”, is the owner and founder of The Roasterie Coffee, Inc., the brand of coffee available in eight different locations on campus.

He graduated from Iowa State with a double major in international studies and political science 10 years before beginning his journey in the coffee business.

O’Neill’s passion for coffee stems from a high school trip to Costa Rica. There, he was a foreign exchange student seeking fun experiences. It was in Costa Rica that he first went coffee picking.

“Sometimes when you’re going through things you know it’s a turning point,” O’Neill said regarding the experience.

After graduating college he began work in sales. The corporate job didn’t prove to be the life-course O’Neill wished to follow, causing him to think back to coffee.

For months at the beginning of The Roasterie, O’Neill went around attempting to sell his coffee.

“Every single day I was just absolutely scared to death,” O’Neill said.

Slowly, he accumulated more and more sales, hiring employees and building up the company.

The company wasn’t built without hardships, and O’Neill lamented on not being able to pay himself or employees for months at a time. During this time, he came within three days of having his home repossessed. 

The Roasterie Coffee, Inc. is now a highly successful company, servicing espresso bars, coffee houses, fine restaurants, high-end grocers, offices and retail accounts. It also includes three Roasterie Cafes.