About Us: the heart behind it

We are family-owned and operated coffee roasters from Portland, Oregon. It takes the whole team to create our one-of-a-kind, Cunningham Coffee. As a family, we share all the ins and outs of what it’s like to build a business from the ground up; hard work, motivation, and perseverance.

Melisa handles the sales, design, and marketing. Sean sources & roasts coffee while running the Hawthorne Tasting Room. Jaeden and Hudson help with a variety of tasks, complete the store opening/closing checklists, and destone, weigh & package coffee.

We love the idea of using coffee as a form of philanthropy: "Coffee itself is energizing. We want to send out this energy to our community. The idea that our product is motivating is a powerful concept. We hope that people see what we are doing, and are motivated and energized to make a positive impact however they can. We all have something we can give".

 
Melisa’s first barista job was in 2004 while earning her Family Science degree from Oregon State University. After graduation, Melisa completed an additional year of breastfeeding education with the goal of becoming a lactation consultant. The coffee shop she was working for at the time was expanding and she was given the opportunity to direct operations for the company. Fast forward ten years later: Cafes Unlimited operates 9 locations in the Pacific Northwest! Melisa loves to volunteer and serve her community; she is the lead teacher of a classroom at her church every Sunday, a volunteer mentor through Great Life Mentoring since 2007, and serves as an Office Parent at DHS through Embrace Oregon.

Melisa’s first barista job was in 2004 while earning her Family Science degree from OSU. Post graduation, she completed an additional year of studies in lactation management; meanwhile, the coffee shop was expanding and she was given the opportunity to direct operations for the company. Fast forward 12 years: she oversees 7 locations and with over 50 employees in the Pacific Northwest

Melisa loves to volunteer and serve her community; she is the lead teacher of a classroom at her church every Sunday, a volunteer mentor through Great Life Mentoring since 2007, and serves as an Office Parent at DHS through Embrace Oregon.

As the cofounder and head roaster, Sean began his career in food, retail, and customer service over 20 years ago and is still just as passionate about service, quality, and customer satisfaction. Sean loves crabbing, cribbage, golf, and is a high-ranked league pool player competing in tournaments including Las Vegas and Hawaii! Sean admittedly doesn't drink coffee, which he believes is helpful in the process of blends and roasting as he has “an objective palate and [is] not partial to any one origin or roast level".

As the cofounder and head roaster, Sean began his career in food, retail, and customer service over 25 years ago and is still just as passionate about quality and customer satisfaction today.

Sean loves crabbing, cribbage, golf, and is a high-ranked league pool player competing in tournaments including Las Vegas and Hawaii!

Sean is proud of the community that has been built since opening the tasting room in 2024. “It’s been a joy to see the enthusiasm and growth in our modest little store. It’s really a dream job”.