Davis Teen Builds Successful Coffee Business

Harvey’s Coffee approaches 200 monthly subscribers, every bag roasted by hand on a machine built in the early 1900s

(From press release) Close to 200 people around the country get their coffee from a backyard in Davis, roasted four bags at a time by a high school senior. Harvey Uyeyama learned on that machine in June 2024, the night his father asked if he wanted to give it a try. 

“He had been roasting coffee pretty much my whole life,” Uyeyama said.

His father died of a heart attack on Harvey’s 15th birthday. Two weeks later, the church needed coffee for the funeral service, and Harvey roasted it alone for the first time.

“I’d never roasted coffee fully by myself before, and it was a learning curve. I can’t tell you how many batches I probably ruined that night,” he said. “Everyone who drank the coffee at the funeral was like, ‘this is really, really good coffee. This is too good coffee for a funeral.’ And I was like, huh, maybe that’s a sign.”

Harvey’s Coffee now roasts every Friday and delivers every Saturday across Davis, shipping the rest of the country from the same backyard — New Mexico, Iowa, New York. The business is closing in on 200 monthly subscribers.

Every bag is roasted to order, four at a time, at roughly twelve bags an hour, and tailored to individual customers’ tastes. Local deliveries arrive within 24 hours of the roast, guaranteeing unbeatable freshness. Each month Uyeyama selects a different single origin, reading the history and the cupping data before committing.

“I look at the acidity, I look at the body. I just usually base it off of if it’s something I would like to drink,” he said. Customers have their own opinion: “Our customers have always loved our Ethiopian coffee. It’s just been a favorite since the very, very start.”

Davis resident Jill Duman Kasapligil put it more plainly. “I’ve abandoned all my other coffee. It’s so good.”

Uyeyama runs the business with partner Abby Merchant, who rebuilt the brand’s logo, packaging and customer experience. 

Subscriptions start at $17.50 a bag, with the first shipment 50% off. New subscribers can choose their roast and grind, and receive a different origin each month.

Order or subscribe at harveyscoffee.shop