Natalie and Adrian Contreras joined Stephen Schreiber, right, about six years ago to start planning and then launching Brot Coffee, which opened in late July. Schreiber is now manager of the coffee shop.

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Brot Coffee

Adrian Contreras’ world is coffee—it even connected him with his wife, but more about that later.

“As a kid, I used to love sneaking my dad’s coffee.  He would cream it up like crazy and put a bunch of sugar in it.  That was a golden cup,” says Contreras, the founder of Brot Coffee on Main St. near St. Joseph Hospital.

His java tastes and flair for customer service became more refined as a teenager, especially after landing a job with Diedrich Coffee at a Plaza location that’s now a Starbucks.

“I started to soak in the environment of what a coffeehouse had to offer, and I fell in love with it,” he recalls.

After a decade at Diedrich, Contreras worked another 10 years at Peet’s Coffee and Tea.  That’s where he met Natalie Kohler, who came in one day looking for work.  In one of those “small world” connections, Contreras already knew her father, Norb Kohler, a regular customer at Diedrich who often ordered a cappuccino.

Fast forward to six years ago when Adrian and Natalie, who were married by then, started seriously planning their own coffee shop.  The births of their two daughters prompted Contreras to learn more about his wife’s German heritage.

“I fell in love with the language, and I came across the word ‘brot’ (rhymes with “wrote”) for ‘bread.’ I thought it was perfect,” he says, because it communicates the idea of fellowship and “breaking bread together, and sharing with family, friends and the community.”

Open since late July, Brot contracts primarily with three local suppliers.  Coffee beans meeting Brot’s specific flavor profiles come from Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders and are roasted in-house.  Bread Artisan Bakery in Santa Ana prepares the baguettes, hoagies and rolls.  And Grampy Pat’s, a regular at the Orange Home Grown Farmers & Artisans Market, makes the gluten-free breads and items using ancient grains.

“The concept of having bread and coffee is really cool—and it’s good,” says Jerry Vanrooy, who initially stopped into Brot during its first few days and has been a regular ever since.  “It’s not just a good concept.  The product is outstanding.”

While there has been talk about eventually opening additional locations, Contreras says that building a relationship with each customer will always be important.

“My focus is to run a healthy business and for my staff to greet every customer with a ‘Hello.’  I want them to remember everyone by name, and eventually what they drink.  We want this to be a space where the story of each customer continues, and it’s not just a one-off.”

Brot Coffee
316 South Main St., Orange, CA 92868  /  714-602-9894