Jarrod Coronado of Queen Creek on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jarrod Coronado. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Jarrod, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
One of the things that makes me lose track of time the most, is reading. As odd as it may sound, I can get caught up in reading something and after a while look up to realize that a substantial amount of time has passed. I rarely regret the time that I spend reading, even though some times I feel like it monopolizes my time. There are plenty of other things that I waste time with, so I don’t feel bad about sitting down for a few moments, or a few hours reading, if I can find the time. As far as finding myself again, I assume in the context of losing track of time, I usually am brought out of that by a need get something to drink, or the need to use the restroom.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My son, Ezekiel and I own Coronado Coffee, which is a small batch roaster of specialty coffee. We carefully select coffees that we feel will fit well into our portfolio, based on the type of coffees we want to offer, and then we work hard to roast those coffees in a way that brings out the best notes and qualities of those coffees. We got into the coffee business in 2017, and at that time we were a distributor of my dad’s coffee, which he roasted and we sold. His roasting facility ended up being destroyed in a fire, but a few years later in 2020, we relaunched our company, but in 2020 we became the roaster. So now, we do all the sourcing, roasting, distribution, and the special events that we take part in. Wholesale has become a significant part of our business in the last couple of years, but we still place the greatest emphasis on our retail customers who purchase online. We work hard to set ourselves apart with deliciously unique coffees that are roasted with care and precision for a delightful cup of coffee.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
Both of my parents taught me a hard work ethic, both in words and in deeds. Often my dad would sit my brother and I down and explain to us how important it is to work hard and to do your best no matter what you do. My brother and I never enjoyed those conversations at the time, but now I’m extremely grateful. My mom also taught a hard work ethic in the things she told me about work, but she also demonstrated that. She worked hard to put herself through college and then worked hard once she earned her degree. Both of my parents instilled in me the necessity to work hard, to do my best at all times, and also to find what I was good at and to pursue that.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Many times in my life and in this business I have wanted to give up, and to shut down Coronado Coffee. It is a lot of work, and even though I enjoy it, the work can be very draining. However, I started this company for my kids, and so that keeps me going. My son has been working for the company for the past few years, and he is in the process of taking the company to the next level by starting a coffee trailer to serve beverages. This has reinvigorated me and given me the boost I need to not throw in the towel, rather to pursue even harder the success of this company.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that what matters to me most is my relationship with Jesus Christ. I became a Christian in my early 20’s and that has been the most important thing to me that drives what I do and who I am. We largely run Coronado Coffee with a desire to use the business to honor Christ and also to represent Him well. We want to provide the best product we can, at a fair price, with top shelf service for the glory of the Lord.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I regularly feel like I’m out of my depth, so it is hard to know when I actually am. I don’t mind the feeling that I’m out of my depth, because it challenges me to work harder and smarter and to strive for greater things. Recently, my son and I were asked to take part in a roasting competition, and my son convinced me that we should. We received the coffee we were supposed to roast for the competition, and after a couple of sample batches, I told him that I didn’t feel confident in the roasts, and that I didn’t want to submit a roast because we would be competing with some really good roasters and I didn’t think we could compete. Again, he convinced me to submit our roast, and much to my surprise, we won. I definitely felt out of my depth, but it forced me to work hard and to take a chance.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coronadocoffee.net