Kevin Fuller, a owners of longstanding Portland cafeteria Albina Press and a distinguished figure within a Portland coffee community, died unexpected this weekend. His family has nonetheless to recover a means of death. Fuller is survived by his longtime partner, Joana O’Connor, and his 3 children, Georgia, Stephen, and William.
Fuller non-stop North Portland cafeteria Albina Press in 2004, during a arise of a third call coffee movement. The cafe, with a singular digital presence, became a area standby famous for a obliged sourcing and committed barista work; soon, the cafeteria grown inhabitant buzz, from New York Times name drops to coffee foe medals. Riding a call of that success, Fuller went on to open dual other locations in Vancouver and Hawthorne. In his 16 years using Albina Press, several distinguished Oregon baristas worked with him, including Barista owners Billy Wilson and Coava CEO Matt Higgins.
“To me, a Albina Press was a best coffee emporium in Portland during a third wave, period,” Higgins says. “Kevin’s prophesy was that zero brief of value would come opposite that bar.” Higgins worked for Albina Press in a early years, eventually going off to start his successful roasting company. Coava would go on to supply a cafes with coffee beans, that it still does to this day.
“Kevin managed with his heart,” he says. “If people indispensable assistance with their rent, Kevin was assisting them with rent. If someone was going by a bad breakup, he would take we to a Crow Bar and buy we shots… we don’t know if I’d be in my position here, using Coava, if Kevin didn’t give me a job. we am perpetually in debt and grateful for him holding a possibility to occupy me.”
Nich Ealy-Elder, a longtime Albina Press employee, remembers Fuller as a private and dedicated coffee expert and businessman with a transparent vision. “Kevin took so many honour and fun in saying people go and open their possess thing and succeed,” Ealy-Elder said. “We all knew how many it meant to him to see Coava do so well, to see Barista do well, Palate in Bend… Seeing people go off and do improved things, he’d do his rival father thing, though it done him so unapproachable to see people go on and attain in a industry.”
Portland’s cafeteria village has been anguish his genocide via a weekend, pity thoughts and memories of a barista in Facebook groups and on amicable media. “Kevin has been a personality and someone I’ve looked adult to for my whole career,” writes Alex Pond, who works for coffee nonprofit Cup of Excellence. “His dream was always his staff and a spit and a farmer.”
The owners of Bend coffee bar Palate common a identical summary on their Facebook page. “Kevin Fuller was one of a biggest teachers,” a post reads. “Kevin poured a many pleasing latte art, blindfolded. He is one of a strange Portland coffee greats.”
Those looking to support his family’s wake costs can present to this GoFundMe.
Updated Mar 30, 2020, 2:02 p.m.
This story has been updated with comments from Coava CEO Matt Higgins.
• Albina Press [Instagram]
• In Loving Memory of Kevin Fuller [GoFundMe]
• Palate’s post [Facebook]
• Alex Pond’s post [Facebook]