Brandon Paul Weaver first fell in love with coffee hanging out with friends over Frappuccinos at Starbucks. That love quickly grew into a desire to learn everything about the coffee world. After stints at local cafes like Parnassus and Zoka, winning several coffee competitions along the way, Weaver and his mentor Nik Virrey brought something new to Seattle coffee in 2013 when they designed a menu emphasizing sit-down bar-style service at Slate Coffee Roasters, and he set his sights on learning everything he could about the other kind of bar service. He landed at Capitol Hill’s lauded Liberty Bar, taking only two years to complete the intense (normally three-year) training it takes to go from opening coffee shift to nighttime bartender. Now, as co-op director and roaster for his own coffee company, Weaver’s happy to pay it forward. “Watching people grow and become the people they hoped to be is 100% what drives me,” he says. Zagat has recently listed Brandon in the national list of "30 under 30" Rockstars redefining the industry.