After Eaton Fire, Bevel Coffee Rises with First Brick-and-Mortar in Altadena

Inside the new Bevel Coffee shop in Altadena. All images courtesy of Bevel Coffee.

More than a year after the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena in January 2025, Bevel Coffee last week opened its first brick-and-mortar cafe, becoming one of the first new permanent storefronts to open in the community’s recovery.

The Eaton Fire killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 structures, according to official reports, leaving a deep mark on the community even as some buildings and businesses survived.

Bevel Coffee Co-Founder Kevin Mejia described securing the new shop location as “bittersweet,” in that it reflects the painful realities of other businesses and residents forced to evacuate, yet opens opportunities for new independent businesses like his. The cafe sits in a former photography studio on Allen Avenue that remained standing through the blaze.

Bright white walls and round pendant lighting greet customers in the long, roughly 600-square-foot space. A tall front wall of windows is painted with the brand name and signature scarlet macaw logo. Honduras’ national bird also appears on Bevel’s coffee bags lining natural wood shelving throughout the room. Seating includes a long bench behind a series of tables opposite the counter.

“We had to be a little bit pragmatic with the space because it’s not massive,” Mejia told Daily Coffee News. “We need to maximize the space indoors, so benches along the walls made the most sense to get the most people able to hang out with us while not shrinking the bar so much that we can’t efficiently do what we want.”

Mejia, who was born in the United States to Honduran immigrant parents, said he favors coffees grown in Honduras’ San Vicente region. Those and other coffees reach Bevel through importers including Hacea Coffee Source, Ally Coffee, Unravel Coffee Merchants and more. 

“[My fiance] and I are both first-generation Americans, so it was very special to be able to share some of our heritage with our guests,” said Mejia. “We do, however, love sharing coffees from other regions, too. I’m always trying to find beautiful, nuanced, unique offerings that are from producers that maybe aren’t as well known.”

Mejia roasts for the shop and for wholesale clients on a 3-kilo Mill City Roasters machine in the 2-car garage of his nearby home.

Pastries from Los Angeles-based commissary Bakers Kneaded will fill the case at the new cafe. Bagels from Mustard’s Bagels in Culver City are also planned, alongside simple grab-and-go sandwiches, breakfast burritos and other items the team can execute in-house.

Mejia, previously the owner of a small group fitness gym, turned a home coffee obsession into a roasting business in 2022, culminating in a semi-permanent pop-up at Prime Pizza Altadena in September 2023. The goal was to establish Bevel in the neighborhood ahead of a brick-and-mortar opening.

“We decided to look into doing a pop-up that we can do consistently so that we could create community and build the relationships with the neighborhood,” Mejia said.

The plan was working but was abruptly upended by the Eaton Fire, which caused mass evacuations in Altadena.

Yet with a renewed sense of hope for the community and the new shop up and running, Mejia said he is eyeing a near-term upgrade to a 15-kilo roaster to support wholesale growth, while taking his time on additional retail expansion.

“I think that eventually I will look at doing cafe number two or three, but for now getting the current cafe running smoothly and getting our team feeling good comes first,” said Mejia. “Then we can get back to roots to keep connecting with producers and sourcing coffees we love.”

Bevel Coffee is located at 1864 Allen Ave in Altadena, California.

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