WHAT’S IN
THE NAME?
Photo credit: Cydney Jover
Boondocks—pronounced /‘boon, däks/ or “the boonies”—entered American English during the Philippine-American War (1899-1902). At the time, American soldiers used the Tagalog word “bundok,” meaning “mountain,” to refer to remote areas that were difficult to access due to rugged terrain. In these highlands, Arabica coffee thrives, yielding a cup that’s as bold and distinctive as its origins.
Boondocks Coffee Roasters takes immense pride in its Filipino-American immigrant roots. Our primary mission is to shine a spotlight on the rich coffee offerings from the Philippines and showcase them on the global specialty coffee map.
We deeply value our farmers, their families, and their communities—both where the coffee is grown and here in the United States. We prioritize the use of safe and sustainable agricultural practices, partnering with reputable green coffee suppliers who share our commitment to fair labor standards. This ensures that every cup we serve reflects not only exceptional quality but a legacy free from exploitation.
Great coffee means three things: care, quality, and sustainability for our farmers.
We exclusively source our single-origin beans through direct trade with farms in the Philippines, ensuring fair compensation for farmers and exceptional bean quality. Our attention is firmly placed on the nuanced flavor profiles of these beans, though we also offer signature blends like our Galleon Blend. Each small batch is roasted with care to highlight the distinct character of Filipino coffee, resulting in fruit-forward, tea-like profiles, full of flavor and textural nuance.
Quality beans are our promise to you. Our coffees are seasonal and often released in limited editions—showcasing rare varieties, unique processing methods, or small-lot producers.
At Boondocks Coffee Roasters, we’re roasters first, coffee shop second. This foundation shapes everything we do. Our mission centers on three core values:
Community: We believe in building real relationships—with our farmers, our partners, and the neighborhoods we serve. Our work is rooted in mutual respect and a commitment to giving back.
Culture: We believe coffee is more than just a beverage; it’s a vessel for stories and ritual. We honor the traditions behind every origin and celebrate the people who carry them forward.
Craft: It’s all about the coffee we love, which is why our beans are picked, roasted, and brewed by hand, from start to finish. It’s a big part of what we do, and we take a lot of pride in it, just like the people we work with.
Meet the Staff
Meet our amazing team and learn more about their favorite drinks!
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Meet Emil
Founder / Roaster
Born in Cavite, grew up in San Diego, and now calls Los Angeles home. Emil enjoys the outdoors and starting the day with a quiet pour-over with his wife Aira and dog Scully.
What drew him to specialty coffee is how it brings people together—each cup carrying a story, a conversation, a connection. With Boondocks Coffee Roasters, he hopes to create a space for community, conversation, and culture, all grounded in craft.
Favorite drink: Natural processed single-origin pour-over
Boondocks recommendation: "Vanilla from the Mountains of Manila" & Pour over from our bar
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Founder
Rich is co-founder at Boondocks Coffee Roasters, focused on business operations and developing the vision for growth at Boondocks.
With a background in finance, business development, media, and operations, Rich supports our business goals of sharing Boondocks Coffee with our growing national community.
His family is from Ecuador, and coffee has always been a part of Rich’s life. Having the opportunity to help Emil launch a coffee enterprise that shares their passion for coffee with others and creates community… it doesn’t get any better than that!
Outside of Boondocks, Rich keeps busy running his San Diego-based creative agency, exploring new music, and travel planning with his wife Grace and boys Raiden and Garren.
Favorite drink: Old Fashioned
Boondocks recommendation: Salted Latik Latte
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Meet Mila!
Barista
Born and raised in Berkeley, CA, Mila is a recent UCLA graduate majored in Linguistics and Psychology who's also worked at a local cafe chain back home.
She's more of a tea lover than a coffee drinker, and her go-to order is an iced matcha latte. If her life had a theme song, it would be "Beaches" by beabadoobie
Fav drink: Iced Matcha Latte
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Meet Brianna
Barista
A barista, artist, and a double Bruin master’s student studying Materials Science and Engineering. She loves everything science/nerdy, and coffee is no exception. Outside of boondocks, she loves doing her nails, playing the guitar, and creating art in most mediums you can imagine.
Her most current endeavor is training for the Hawaii marathon with her best friend! One day, she hopes to have collected enough coffee gadgets to make a corner of her kitchen look like a science lab dedicated to coffee.
Favorite Coffee Drink: Iced/Hot oat milk latte with honey
Boondocks Recommendation: Iced Pandan Latte with Cold Foam! (A secret menu item, if you will ;) )
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Meet Jolene
Barista
Born and raised in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley, and a recent UCLA graduate majored in English. She loves poetry, fashion, and creating content on her style and makeup.
Outside of class, she’s usually filming, editing, or exploring new coffee spots—always trying a different drink, even if she’ll end up back with her usual vanilla oat latte.
She’s interested in a future in fashion marketing and writing, where creativity stays at the center of what she does.
Favorite drink: vanilla oat latte
Boondocks recommendation: ube matcha
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Meet Adaya!
Barista
A recent UCLA graduate who majored in political science with dreams of becoming a lawyer post-grad. She's worked at specialty coffee shops in the Bay Area, including Chrome Coffee, and most recently at Alfred. Growing up, she wanted to be a geologist (and still gets a little nerdy about rocks), and if her life had a theme song, it would be "Champagne Coast" by Blood Orange, though it changes every season because she loves music
Fav drink: Vanilla Matcha (Oat Milk) / Einspanner Matcha
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Meet April (they/them)
Barista
Originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, April moved to the U.S. 10 years ago for college and has been based in LA for the past 5 years.
They're a filmmaker and artist with a love for R&B, OPM, and Afrobeats. Growing up, their home once housed up to 7 different animal species. If their life had a theme song right now, it would be "Modern Girl" by Lotti!
Fav drink: Cortado (hot or iced with a touch of vanilla) / London Fog / Matcha Latte
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Meet Cydney
Business Operations Coordinator
An aspiring Q-Grader and a photographer at Boondocks Coffee Roasters and a recent graduate UCLA student who studied Sociology and Entrepreneurship.
She first got into specialty coffee two years ago and quickly fell in love with the craft — from dialing in espresso to learning the science behind the perfect pour. Outside Boondocks, Cydney’s usually out shooting digital film, working out, traveling, or vibing to R&B.
Favorite Drink: Iced flat white with oat milk and a little vanilla or honey, topped with cinnamon
Boondocks Rec: Pandan matcha
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Meet Malia!
Barista
She's a third-year transfer at UCLA majoring in sociology and originally from the Bay Area. She played soccer at her community college and previously worked at a Mediterranean restaurant inside a local food market. Fun fact: she was the kicker for her JV football team in high school. If her life had a theme song, it might be "Just a Little While"
Fav drink: Iced Vanilla from the Mountains of Manila
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Meet Katrina!Barista
A second-year UCLA student studying Neuroscience. Originally from Dallas, TX, she is obsessed with both the coffee serotonin boost and all the people she meets over a favorite drink. In her free time, you can find her running, listening to yacht rock, pondering her existence, and bothering her roommate.
Favorite Drink: Iced Cuban Espresso
Boondocks recommendation: Espresso apple tonic
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Meet Domenik!
Production Roaster / Barista
A Palm Springs native, Dom is an artist and musician bringing his creativity and specialty coffee experience to Boondocks Coffee Roasters. As a current production roaster and barista, he's honed his craft at Starbucks and later at Varraco Coffee Roasters, a Philippine specialty coffee roaster near his hometown.
His creative roots run deep—he’s explored everything from guitar, bass, and saxophone to drawing and sketching. At just 14, he even performed at the Sydney Opera House with his high school band, a moment that cemented his love for music and storytelling. When he’s not brewing or dialing in, you’ll find Dom outdoors, reading, sketching, or lifting at the gym.
Fav drink: Iced Americano with cinnamon on top (or a hojicha latte when he’s going non-coffee)
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Meet Kiersten!
One of our OG baristas. Originally from the Bay Area, he found his way to Boondocks the real way: a cold DM to Emil asking to learn the craft, back when we were still just a pop-up cart. Two years later, he’s still behind the bar, fueled by coffee, matcha, and a love for the process. When he’s not pulling shots, he’s directing and producing films and running his own pop-up cafe, Cafe Villanz.
His theme song would be: Memory Box by Peter Cat Recording Co.
Fav drink: Pour Over, particularly the Guji Natural which you can find at our shop!
Photo credit: Cydney Jover
Westwood, CA. What started as a passionate pop-up is now expanding into a permanent home in the heart of Westwood. Located on 1087 Broxton Ave., our café aims to live up to Filipino hospitality. Whether you are here to work, catch up with friends, or enjoy a cup of coffee, we designed this space with you in mind.
Visit Us:
1087 Broxton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Mon - Sun | 8 am - 3 pm