From Wanderers to Roasters: Our Story
We’re Anastiscia and Greg, two wanderers who traded steady jobs in Japan for two years of discovery. What started as a promise to slow down and see the unseen became a lifelong pursuit of meaning through flavor, culture, and connection.
After working in Japan for some years, we left our jobs and spent two years wandering through Southeast Asia and Latin America with no plan except to get lost. No itinerary, no deadlines, just backpacks, curiosity, and a hope that the road would teach us something we didn’t yet know how to ask for.
We Weren’t Chasing Coffee. It Found Us.
Like that day in northern Thailand, crammed into the back of a rickety truck with sacks of rice and tribal women wrapped in woven skirts and laughter. A detour led us to a village that didn’t appear on any map. A woman with eyes like ancient stories waved us into a stilted hut. Someone brought out green coffee beans and roasted them over an open fire, crackling, fragrant, alive.
The brew was poured into a single wooden bowl. No words were needed. We passed it around, sipping in silence, smiling, gesturing wildly. It was communion. It was magic.
We didn’t know it then, but that was the first time coffee became a bridge, not just a drink, but a ritual of connection.
Ceremonies, Not Commodities
Deep in the jungles of Mexico, we swam in a hidden waterhole and emerged to find a young Mayan girl watching us from the trees.
She led us barefoot through a trail of chocolate-scented blossoms to a forgotten Mayan site, half-swallowed by vines. That night, we sat by a fire in her village, sipping a thick coffee and spiced cacao combination with elders who spoke in stories older than time.
They taught us that coffee and cacao aren’t commodities. They’re ceremonies. Invitations to slow down, to listen, to connect, with the land, with each other, with the mystery.
Connection in Unexpected Places
In Indonesia, a monsoon hit like a wild spirit. The hotel flooded, power went out, and we were herded, locals, tourists, strangers, into a single meeting room.
We spent the night huddled together with flashlights and bottled water, sharing stories, snacks, and laughter. When dawn broke, staff appeared like heroes, bearing trays of hot coffee and tropical fruit.
We sipped. We smiled. We exhaled. Once again, coffee wasn’t just a drink; it was a sunrise after the storm.
The Moment We Knew
Not every day was poetic. We got sick in Laos, missed buses in Cambodia, and ran low on money in Oaxaca. But even in those moments, especially in those moments, someone always offered a cup.
The turning point came in a grassy field in Mexico. We saw a tiny wooden shed, and an old man waved us in. Inside, he poured thick, earthy coffee into two tiny cups. No words, just signs and smiles. We stayed for three hours.
That was the moment.
We looked at each other and said, This is what we want to share.
From Journey to Craft
We started Java Traveler and Uncharted Lands Coffee not as a brand, but as a tribute, to the hands that grow and roast with reverence, to the strangers who became friends over a cup, and to the winding road that taught us how to listen.
We roast our beans in small batches over oak wood fire, unlocking bold, complex flavors that honor the origin and keep the natural benefits intact. Each bean is sourced from organic cooperatives and family farms that value soil health, sustainability, and the stories of the people who work the land.
An Invitation
Every bag is a passport. Every cup, a portal. Whether it’s a smoky hill-tribe roast or a velvety Mayan cacao blend, you’re not just drinking coffee; you’re joining a journey. Welcome to the tribe. Because ordinary was never your destination.