Our Story

Sjö started long before the coffee. Sjö is small-batch, specialty-grade coffee, roasted fresh and good enough to drink black, no milk or sugar required, though both are always welcome. Each roast is single-origin, sourced from Guatemala, Peru, or Ethiopia.

Two friends from Napa
Jenn and Brenna met in ninth grade in Napa Valley, on a tennis court, and have gotten coffee together ever since. It's just what they did, and still do! Napa taught them early to care about how things are made. Jenn became a scientist, building a career in oncology research. Brenna started serving coffee table-side at The French Laundry in Yountville, learning how much the taste of coffee matters, even after a wonderful dinner. Currently she is a stylist near Tahoe, who still loves to serve her clients freshly brewed coffee.

The coffee

Jenn, deep into her career, found this coffee while tasting her way through more coffee than most people drink in a lifetime. She landed on these roasts worth building something around, and it held up: family and friends keep asking for more, and her brother's finance office in Newport Beach has been ordering it every month ever since.

Jenn moved back to Northern California, where she reconnected with Brenna. Brenna tasted the coffee, loved it, and the two of them got excited about actually re-launching it together.

Reborn this summer solstice

Summer of 2026, Jenn took a spontaneous trip to see family in Sweden for midsummer, staying at Sjöstugan, the beloved family lake house 45 minutes north of Stockholm where the name comes from. Midsummer happens on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year; friends and family outside on the water until nearly midnight. She came home inspired, and everything fell into place.

That's Sjö. Inspired by the lake, outdoor adventure, and the family and friends who share a love of both. Grab a cup and you'll see why.

Sjö translates literally as lake in Swedish, said roughly like "h-wuh." Or just call it "S-J-O", either works.

Really good coffee. Then go have an adventure!