About Us

Cat & Cloud was created by three friends who believe experiences and connection shape our lives.

Every interaction you have with another person, no matter how small, is an opportunity to leave them in a better place than we found them.

Creating experiences that inspire and connect, that’s what we do. with our team, our guests, and now you. 

OUR OWNERS

  • Jared Truby

    Jared believes in the adventure and joy of connecting to others through the work we do. That true magic happens when people come together, and use their individual gifts to make something larger than the sum of its parts.

    Jared has experienced this joy by helping found and support other companies, winning barista competitions and contributing to a wider global coffee culture with his voice.

    His hope is that through coffee, craft & hospitality more people will lean into the process of pursuing who they are while helping create an amazing culture alongside him.

  • Chris Baca

    Chris is a former Regional Barista Champion, three-time United States Barista Competition Finalist, and Coffee Fest Latte Art Champion.

    He’s served on the Barista Guild of America’s Executive Council, spoken at the Specialty Coffee Association’s annual conference, taught at the Let’s Talk Coffee conference, and was featured on the cover of Barista Magazine and Fresh Cup Magazine. He has also been featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

    Chris believes we all have gifts to share and that the world would be better off if we were brave enough to share them. You can find his blog, newsletter, and more of his work (educational coffee videos, books, and other projects) here:
    chrisbaca.com

  • Charles Jack

    Charles’ background is a mix of high-finance, travel, international business and coffee. He spent his 20s as a Wall Street investment analyst and portfolio manager. Leaving New York for Africa in 2010, Charles discovered coffee while spending time working in Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan as part of TechnoServe's East Africa Coffee Program.

    At Cat & Cloud, Charles specializing in the areas of Green Coffee Buying, New Store Development and Financial Operations.

    Charles has a passion for building relationships in the coffee industry, and for working toward livelihood sustainability, both on the roaster and producer sides of the industry.

Deeper Dive

We opened our first cafe in 2016 at 3600 Portola Ave in Santa Cruz with eight team members and big dreams. Today, we’ve grown into four cafes, a stand alone roastery, and thriving wholesale partners around the world, all who share a passion for creating amazing experiences.

For a deeper dive into what we believe and what the mission means to us, give a listen to this episode of our podcast.