In this episode, we sit down with Nick Terzulli, VP of R&D at Fellow. Nick shares how his curiosity and persistence pulled him deeper into coffee culture—as a barista and a tinkerer, and eventually as the engineer behind Fellow’s iconic product, including the new Espresso Series 1.
We dig into how engineering and coffee intersect, from the mysteries of burr geometry to challenges in espresso machine stability. At the heart of Nick’s story is a lesson in following passion over paycheck, learning by doing, and embracing failure as part of innovation. It’s a conversation about curiosity, persistence, and the joy of creating products that shape people’s daily coffee rituals.
🔖 Chapters –
00:00 intro
02:02 Nick’s background
11:46 Where the interest came from
14:05 Early career in coffee
20:18 The move to Fellow
25:28 Grinder rabithole
38:34 Espresso Series 1
52:58 What makes things happen
01:00:28 Seeing hard work pay off
🔗 Links –
Fellow:
Espresso Series 1 https://fellowproducts.com/products/espresso-series-1
Cat & Cloud:
Instagram www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/
Webstore www.catandcloud.com/
Chris Baca’s Personal Blog: www.chrisbaca.com/
We are Cat & Cloud Coffee. Started by three friends trying to pursue their passions with the mission to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences, and we created this podcast to continue forming those connections inside and out of our cafes.
The Cat & Cloud podcast was created as a space for us to share our experiences in the coffee industry and starting a business. Each week we sit down to talk about new challenges as business owners, how we utilize our mission and values to make decisions, and answer questions from our listening community. If you’re looking to expand your coffee knowledge, get some advice for your own small business, or just like the vibes, give us a listen!
Enjoy!
Podcast Info and Contact: www.catandcloud.com/podcast
Instagram: www.instagram.com/catcloudcoffee/
Webstore: www.catandcloud.com/
Roasters Choice Subscription: www.catandcloud.com/collections/subscriptions
Wholesale Partners: Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn more about our Partner Program https://catandcloud.com/wholesale
Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that put culture first.
Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them. The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven organizations.
Hosted by Chris Baca and Jared Truby
