Roasteries / Be Bright Coffee
Be Bright Coffee
Melrose, Los Angeles, CA
Be Bright Coffee is a Los Angeles roaster founded in 2020 by Frank and Michelle La, who started selling coffee at a weekly Smorgasburg pop-up before opening their first café on Melrose Ave in 2022. Frank — a former director of quality and innovation at Copa Vida — is the 2024 US Barista Champion and a 2025 US Brewers Cup runner-up, and the brand has also placed at the US Roaster Championships and won the US Cold Brew Championship. Be Bright roasts fresh in LA every week and sorts its coffees into four approachable flavor families — Dark & Bold, Rich & Smooth, Bright & Lively, and Unique & Surprising — to keep specialty coffee simple to shop.
10
coffees
CA
base
Photos
Location
Coffees
10 coffees
A Huila, Colombia decaf run through the sugar-cane (Ethyl Acetate) process, which strips caffeine using a solvent derived from fermented sugar cane while keeping flavor intact — rich with dark caramel and citrus, and versatile as filter or espresso. Source: bebrightcoffee.com.
Dark caramel, honey, citrus
From Fazenda Rio Brilhante ("bright river") in Brazil's Cerrado, irrigated by the Guarani Aquifer and run by owner Inácio Carlos Urban and his sons on newer disease-resistant Arara and Paraino varieties. Cacao nib and toasted marshmallow sweetness with a cherry-cola finish. Source: bebrightcoffee.com.
Cacao nibs, hazelnut, toasted marshmallow, cherry cola
Be Bright's signature dark roast, built to show the rich, darker side of coffee without bitterness — a smooth, sturdy Brazil/Colombia blend for any brew method. Source: bebrightcoffee.com.
Molasses, dark chocolate, roasted peanuts
Café UBA developed its Nitro Washed process in-house at Finca Milán in Pereira — a sealed, nitrogen-flushed fermentation with a fruit-must starter, monitored on temperature, pH and Brix. The cup is clean and precise but surprising: caramel structure up front, juicy watermelon, a soft cantaloupe finish. Source: bebrightcoffee.com.
Watermelon, kiwi, cantaloupe, caramel
Be Bright's first offering from El Salvador: Nelson Flores and his wife Ana Elsy Murcia farm Finca Las Mercedes in the Caballeros community, selling their full harvest through sourcing partner Caravela. A fruity, candy-sweet cup with red grape emerging as it cools and a silky body. Source: bebrightcoffee.com.
Pineapple, red grape candy, navel orange
Don Higinio and Doña Aura built Finca Las Moritas up from less than a hectare of family-seed Pacamara in 1988 into a 70-hectare farm with a gravity-fed irrigation system. This lot shows the clarity Be Bright picked it for: blackcurrant, grapefruit soda and gooseberry. Source: bebrightcoffee.com.
Blackcurrant, grapefruit soda, red berries, gooseberry
From David Lopez's high-elevation farm in El Socorro, Honduras, which he runs with his own washing station and drying rooms — a relationship Be Bright built after visiting in 2025. Approachable and quietly expressive: nougat, golden raisin and baked apple over cocoa powder. Source: bebrightcoffee.com.
Nougat, golden raisin, baked apple, cocoa powder
A lightly roasted breakfast blend pairing Honduras Alvaro Pineda's smooth caramel base with the vibrant citrus and fruit of Ethiopia Anderacha, for a bright start-of-day cup. Source: bebrightcoffee.com.
Citrus, apricot jam, caramel
Be Bright's classically sweet house blend of Costa Rica and Honduras lots — a rich nougat body, soft apple acidity, and a clean finish. Source: bebrightcoffee.com.
Milk chocolate, nougat, apple
A seasonal Colombia/Guatemala espresso blend built for a balanced, layered shot with deep sweetness and lively complexity, on its own or with milk. Source: bebrightcoffee.com.
Chocolate, burnt sugar, warm fruitiness