Owner / Product

In another lifetime, Sam was pursuing an academic career in music. He studied at Concordia College (Moorhead), Boston University, and The University of Birmingham (England). Entering coffee as a hobby roaster while teaching at Endicott College, Sam and Nate started SK in Sam's Boston apartment.

Owner / Operations

Nate studied economics and statistics at the University of Minnesota. He's worked in various corporate and startup positions handling contracts, project management, finance, accounting, and consulting. He has a passion for hospitality and deeply loves coffee. When he's not behind the bar or a computer screen, you can find him with his
wife and daughter taking long walks around
Lake Harriet or Minnehaha Creek.

Head Roaster and Educator

Gabriella has been in specialty coffee for almost half a decade. Proud of her Mexican heritage, she thrives in connecting it with coffee. In her free time, she pursues art of many mediums, reading and learning more about the world. She is curious and excited about all aspects of coffee and is an advocate for creating positive space for change in the industry.

Marketing and Creative Director

Carter has worked in coffee for a handful of years but initially got into it learning to brew at home. He loves the way working in coffee lets him interact with the world and that coffee seemingly goes everywhere with him. When he isnt pulling shots or desigining labels he can be found scheming up his next trip or creative endeavor.

Vandalia Cafe Manager

Alissa has worked in coffee for five years, most recently with frgmnt. She loves surrounding herself with others who are passionate about coffee and music. Outside of work she can be found enjoying a coffee at a local cafe or a pour over at home, most likely reading and making art with her daughter and cats.

Whittier Cafe Manager

Brook has found that working in coffee has fostered in them a continuous state of growth. They are thankful to have this experience and hope to never stop learning and making connections. Brook loves dogs and memoirs. (Pictured with Lukey.)

Skyway Cafe Manager

Mayce has been in the coffee industry for 10 years. Her favorite thing about coffee is it’s a never ending learning experience. When she is not behind the bar she is working on creative collaborations with friends or probably walking around the entire Nokomis Lake with her dog (weather permitting). 

Barista

Riley has been in coffee for well over a decade and continues to find new appreciation, growth, and enthusiasm in his work. He deeply values the connections and constant opportunities to learn that coffee affords him. Outside of SK, Riley is an apprentice tattoo artist and spends a great deal of his time being harassed by a large orange cat.

Barista

Keen has been slinging spro and admiring coffee for over a decade. A ceramic artist and pottery instructor on the weekends as well as a baker's assistant at a local vegan bakery, Keen’s multifaceted involvement with core components of a quality cafe experience has granted them a deep appreciation for the role and impact a barista holds not only to the art forms as products they serve but to the people and members of their community. When Keen isn’t at a potter’s wheel or behind bar, you can find them squeezing their black cat, Lucy, tending to their plants, or spilling tea with the dolls.

Barista

The joy of coffee is the way it sparks conversation and brings people together. As a long time barista at multiple coffee companies, Mountain has seen all walks of life find common ground at the coffee bar. In their work at SK Coffee, they hope to emphasize the community building nature of the coffee environment while serving something they are proud of in every cup. Outside of the shop, Mountain is a musician and song writer playing at local Minneapolis venues. They recently finished their masters degree in electrical engineering and use it to inform their hobby of analog circuit design. 

Operations

Tyson Rinaldi is a Minneapolis-based hospitality professional and consultant with experience leading teams and opening operations for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Omni Hotels & Resorts. Throughout his career, he has worked alongside James Beard Award–winning chefs Ann Kim and Gavin Kaysen, shaping his approach to leadership, mentorship, and creating memorable guest experiences.Tyson later founded his own hospitality consulting company, helping restaurants and businesses strengthen operations, service standards, training programs, and team culture. He studied Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Wisconsin–Stout and completed a leadership program at MAD Academy in Copenhagen, founded by Chef René Redzepi of Noma.

Barista

Aaron Sanchez is originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota and has been working in coffee for around 3 years now, and plans to be in coffee for the foreseeable future. Aarons main hobbies consist of photography, reading, hanging with friends and his cat Bruno! 

Barista

Sammi has been working interchangeably between coffee and illustration for 5 years. Her art practice includes incorporating traditional painting or inking into the majority of her projects. She has a love for quality cooking and flavorful coffee with a splash of oat milk.