Radio Cherry Bombe

Lady Falcon Coffee Club’s Buffy Maguire On The Healing Power Of Creativity & Caffeine

May 6, 2024

Experienced coffee professional Buffy Maguire shares her inspiring journey from political science to coffee, coping with loss through creativity. She discusses the evolution of specialty coffee, launching Lady Falcon Coffee Club, and creating a unique coffee truck. Buffy's story of resilience and growth in the face of personal tragedy is both touching and empowering.

42:41

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Episode guests

Buffy Maguire

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Buffy McGuire found solace and inspiration in creating Lady Falcon Coffee Club after a personal tragedy, emphasizing the healing power of creativity and passion in overcoming grief.

Lady Falcon Coffee Club's focus on direct trade relationships with coffee farmers and storytelling in coffee sourcing highlights the importance of community, history, and authenticity in the coffee industry.

Deep dives

Buffy McGuire's Coffee Journey and Inspirations Behind Lady Falcon Coffee Club

Buffy McGuire shares her inspirational journey in the coffee industry, starting in San Francisco with her love for coffee culture. She delves into the different waves of the coffee movement, highlighting the shift towards single origins and specialty blends. Buffy's deep connection to her neighborhood's history and the empowering story of the Falcon Ladies Bicycle Club influenced the naming and values of Lady Falcon Coffee Club. Her direct relationships with coffee farmers emphasize the importance of community and storytelling in coffee sourcing.

Introduction

4min

Journey towards Peace and Memories

3min

Evolution of Coffee Culture and Personal Healing Journey

11min

Evolution of a Daydream into a Brand in the Coffee Space

2min

From Grief to Growth: Building a Coffee Empire

18min

Buffy's Morning Coffee Routine and Food Memories

4min

Buffy Maguire has been in the coffee business for 30 years, but it’s not where she envisioned herself as a young college student interested in political science and social justice. She even moved to Belfast to attend graduate school and witness first-hand the peace process underway in Northern Ireland. While there, she made a small film focused on people who had lost loved ones during The Troubles, the name given to the conflict that embroiled the country. “I could feel the power of oral history, the need to remember and honor people, even if it happened a long time ago,” says Buffy.

She herself would face a great loss years later when her young son Kevin died. To cope during his time in the hospital, Buffy started to doodle and daydream. “I created this crazy coffee company in my head,” she says. “It had to be fun and light and escapism, but rooted in something I cared about.” Buffy tucked the idea away for three years so she could focus on “living and thriving” for the sake of her two younger sons. “I knew deep in my soul they would do as I was doing, not as I was saying, so I had to live it. That was always my inspiration.”

In time, Buffy would launch Lady Falcon Coffee Club, the San Francisco-based brand known for its single-origin blends, distinctive packaging, and colorful, refurbished 1948 GMC bread truck turned coffee truck (Buffy shared the news that a Lady Falcon brick-and-mortar is in the works in the Outer Sunset neighborhood). Don’t miss her conversation with host Kerry Diamond.

Thank you to Kerrygold, Johnnie Walker, and OpenTable for supporting our show.

Hosted by Kerry Diamond
Produced by Catherine Baker and Elizabeth Vogt
Edited by Jenna Sadhu
Content Operations Manager Londyn Crenshaw
Recorded at Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center

Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Subscribe to our newsletter and check out past episodes and transcripts here.

More on Buffy: Instagram, website
More on Kerry: Instagram