crafting breaks
Break Coffee Roasters is a proudly owner-operated roastery in Metro Atlanta, Georgia. In a world that moves too fast, we exist to offer sacred moments of stillness, shared over coffee that’s been ethically sourced and expertly roasted. Our hope is that stillness won’t feel like a luxury, but a rhythm you can return to.
Our Story
We started Break in 2018 in David’s basement in Duluth, Georgia — driven by a simple idea: to create a space where people could enjoy an exceptional break in their day through high quality coffee.
What began with a small tabletop roaster and a pile of books grew into years of planning, countless little meetings in cafes, and plenty of trial and error. In 2019, we found a small space in a shopping center. With friends, we carried in the roaster, painted the walls, and assembled the furniture by hand. Emily designed the branding, packaging, and artwork. Our families pitched in by building tables, doors, and wooden trays for pour overs. We called in everyone we knew, doing anything we could - we were scrappy to say the least.
Just four weeks after opening, the global shutdown forced us to pivot—roasting and shipping coffee, delivering drinks curbside, and leaning on the support of our loyal customers. During this time, we realized we weren’t just serving coffee—we were creating space for something more: a quiet moment, a simple luxury, a meaningful break amidst everyday routines. This realization led us to rename the business Break Coffee Roasters in 2022.
Since then, Break has grown from our scrappy beginnings. From pop-ups and coffee carts to opening new cafes, helping other cafes, and expanding our roastery, we’ve continued to evolve. But through it all, our values remain the same: correctness, fairness, and accessibility. We believe that simplicity, done with care, is the ultimate luxury.
On any given day, you can find us doing any number of things from meetings, to roasting, to fixing machinery and watering plants. We’re still a scrappy team, but we’re also so proud of the incredible team we get to work alongside.
Thanks for being here,
David & Emily
Our Leadership Team
David Collins, Co-Owner & Founder
David started Break Coffee Roasters from the ground up, wearing every hat along the way—from roasting and bar service to equipment installs and accounting. Today, he leads the company’s growth, operations, and systems, guiding the team and vision that drive Break forward.
Emily Collins, Co-Owner & Director of Brand + Experience
Emily leads the creative vision behind Break, shaping everything from packaging and merchandise to cafe design and customer experience. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling through design, she oversees brand development, new products, and the overall experience that defines Break.
Brandon, Coffee Director
Brandon is the heart of Break’s coffee program, overseeing sourcing, roasting, and quality control with deep expertise and quiet precision. As our first hire and long-time head roaster, he’s been shaping our coffee from day one—setting standards, mentoring our team, and keeping us connected to the ever-evolving coffee world.
Our Coffee Philosophy
From deliberately sourcing coffee from the right producers across the world or pouring latte art, every step of the process is intentionally focused on the people involved. We believe coffee is defined by the people that love to farm it, craft it, and savor it. Our coffee is roasted to order for our partners, ensuring they are provided with the freshest coffee possible. We source a variety of coffee for our single origin coffees and blends at a variety of flavor profiles to ensure a varied, rotating selection and a reliable flavor profile for all our blends.
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Our Core Values
