How I Built This with Guy Raz
Episode: La Colombe Coffee Roasters – Todd Carmichael and J.P. Iberti: A Brotherhood Built on Coffee
Date: January 12, 2026 (original 2020 rebroadcast)
Host: Guy Raz
Guests: Todd Carmichael & JP (Jean Philippe) Iberti, Co-Founders of La Colombe Coffee Roasters
Episode Overview
This episode explores the remarkable journey of Todd Carmichael and JP Iberti, two unlikely friends who pioneered America’s third wave coffee movement with La Colombe Coffee Roasters. From their humble beginnings as baristas in 1980s Seattle, through the risks of entrepreneurship in recession-era Philadelphia, to scaling their cafe and wholesale business nationally, Todd and JP offer a candid, often humorous masterclass in partnership, resilience, and redefining what specialty coffee could be in the US. The episode delves into their personal stories, hard-won lessons, business setbacks, and the enduring ‘brotherhood’ at the heart of their brand.
Key Themes and Discussion Points
1. Origins: Contrasting Backgrounds and the Seeds of a Brotherhood
[07:26–14:59]
- Todd: Grew up poor and food-insecure in rural Washington, raised by his bipolar mother. Early on, he discovered running (state champion) and side hustles like refurbishing farm equipment.
- Quote (Todd): “We just called it kind of hungry back then… I just didn’t want to be poor.” [08:24]
- JP: Grew up in Nice, France, in a comfortable home. Father was a successful produce purveyor, and JP initially dreamt of being a pilot.
- Quote (JP): “Until I left France, I didn’t realize how important food was to me.” [17:39]
2. Seattle’s Coffee Scene and Friendship of Convenience and Destiny
[11:24–18:32]
- Todd started moving coffee sacks at a then-tiny Starbucks and longed to be a barista elsewhere.
- JP finds work at Torre Fazione Italia, learning roasting from Italian masters.
- Their first meeting: a grunge show, a champagne order, and an invitation to cook—rituals of food, cards, and whiskey cement their bond.
- Quote (Todd): “I told him I wasn’t gonna leave until he agreed… there could be no La Colombe without JP.” [25:30]
3. From Dream to Business Plan: Taking Bold Risks
[19:38–25:11]
- Todd saves $95,000 in Europe doing accounting gigs, living on a boat, writing the business plan by hand.
- JP, after flying school and deepening his coffee expertise, ultimately commits when his Italian employer is sold, and the “brotherhood” steers him toward entrepreneurship.
- Quote (JP): “Something happened… Torre Fazione Italia was sold… I knew that if I wanted to stay in coffee, I had to do something.” [26:10]
4. Choosing Philadelphia & Building La Colombe
[28:39–34:38]
- Despite Seattle’s allure, they pick Philadelphia for cheaper rents, walkability, and its proximity to NYC.
- The brand name “La Colombe” is inspired by a dove-symbolized inn in JP’s French hometown, connecting with their ethos of art and craft.
- They self-import Italian roasters and ceramics, and hack a restaurant trash chute as a makeshift roasting chimney—dodging permits, complaints, and fire inspectors.
- Memorable moment (Todd): “I went and rented a jackhammer, and I jackhammered a hole into a garbage chute… and cemented the piping into the garbage chute.” [35:17]
- Quote (JP): “We built the café by… asking forgiveness rather than permission on pretty much anything.” [36:07]
5. Breakthrough: Hustling High-End Restaurant Accounts
[39:28–42:40]
- Land their first accounts (Le Bec Fin and Four Seasons Philadelphia) by walking into kitchens uninvited and demonstrating their coffee.
- Quote (Todd): “We tore the grinder down, cleaned it, tore the espresso machine out, made a beautiful, beautiful coffee… Chef picked the grinder up with the old stuff and threw it all in the trash and said, ‘Go get your shit.’” [40:19]
- Peer-to-peer chef referrals quickly fuel demand—La Colombe serves the best of the culinary world, justifying higher prices and setting new standards.
6. Third Wave Coffee: Direct Sourcing and Quality
[46:02–50:29]
- Begin sourcing beans directly from farms, learning the logistics and risks of circumventing entrenched coffee middlemen.
- First direct sourcing in Brazil, expanding to El Salvador, Haiti, and Africa, sometimes facing personal danger.
- Quote (Todd): “There are loads of gringos that show up making promises… you have to show a resilience that you’re coming back.” [49:33]
7. Setbacks and Resilience: Todd’s Sabbatical and Mental Health
[50:53–54:42]
- In 2000, Todd is overwhelmed by mania, family trauma, and business stress—offers JP his shares and takes a three-month leave on a Pacific island to heal.
- JP runs the business, holds Todd’s place, and they reconnect stronger than before.
- Quote (JP): “You’re gonna help somebody that you love, and I’m not gonna take anything from you… You’re gonna go get better and come back.” [52:10]
8. Shifting Strategy: Growth, Investors, and the Cold Brew Revolution
[54:56–60:45]
- By 2007–08, they cautiously expand to multiple cafes, especially New York, realizing their “anomaly” can scale.
- Seek outside investment for growth and Todd’s new obsession: cold brew and canned draft lattes.
- Investment Nightmare: Misaligned private equity board pushes for 200 locations, opposes cold brew/canned lattes; Todd and JP engineer a buyback—with help from Chobani founder Hamdi Ulakaya.
- Quote (Todd): “We started the old investor discussions and we landed on one… and that lasted 52 days. To the first board meeting, I said, okay, I believe that cold brew is going to be a thing and La Colombe needs to be the father of it. And they said, nah, we don’t want to do that.” [03:13; 57:08]
9. The Chobani Connection: Finding Aligned Partners
[58:54–60:45]
- Hamdi Ulakaya of Chobani invests, shares craft values, brings funding and perspective; La Colombe buys out the PE firm, launches draft lattes nationally.
- Quote (Todd): “I want to take coffee into the future and I want you [Hamdi] to be a part of it… He did.” [59:45]
10. Impact, Wealth, and Legacy
[62:01–65:40]
- Todd is most grateful for financial security for his family, the ability to give back, and the luxury of food security—memories of hunger lingering.
- Quote (Todd): “I can buy anything in this store. God damn it, that’s awesome. And there was years and years and years that wasn’t possible.” [63:08]
- JP highlights America’s culture of philanthropy, pride in their multi-channel business, and the luck that’s weaved through their story.
- Quote (JP): “Hard work is a given… If I were going to give you a percentage [luck vs. work], I would probably call it close to 50–50.” [64:10]
- Todd’s metaphor: “The grout is luck. It’s what holds all those broken pieces together.” [64:46]
Notable Quotes
- On partnership:
“There could be no La Colombe without JP. There could be no Todd without JP, and I don’t think there could be a JP without… It’s like, these are the key ingredients.” — Todd Carmichael [25:30] - On risk:
“We built the cafe… by asking forgiveness rather than permission on pretty much anything.” — Todd Carmichael [36:07] - On business vision:
“We wanted to purvey to the very best of the best… and bring coffee to a whole new level. Not just like salt and pepper on the table, but we give it a name, a place, an identity.” — Todd Carmichael [23:37] - On wealth:
“I could buy anything in this store… There was years and years and years that wasn’t possible.” — Todd Carmichael [63:08] - On legacy:
“The grout is luck. It’s what holds all those broken pieces together, whatever percentage that is.” — Todd Carmichael [64:46]
Key Timestamps
- 07:26 – Todd’s childhood and adversity
- 14:07 – JP’s upbringing in France and move to Seattle
- 16:26 – The night Todd and JP first connect
- 25:30 – Todd “squats” in JP’s closet to persuade him
- 29:01 – Naming the business “La Colombe”
- 32:51 – Smuggling in a roast chimney through a garbage chute
- 39:28 – Hustling for first restaurant accounts
- 46:02 – Beginning direct sourcing from farms
- 50:53 – Todd’s sabbatical for mental health
- 55:00 – Expansion to New York, scaling cafes
- 57:08 – Private equity deal goes south
- 58:54 – Hamdi Ulakaya investment, pivot to cans
- 62:01 – Reflection on wealth and impact
- 64:10 – Luck vs. hard work
Conclusion
This rich, revealing conversation isn’t just about coffee—it’s about friendship, grit, confronting failure, and the courage to trust your own path, even if it means saying no to investors when others might say yes. Todd and JP’s chemistry and candor make for an uncommonly honest entrepreneurial tale, with lessons for anyone hoping to build something enduring and meaningful—preferably over a really great cup of coffee.