Scientist Opens Coffee Roast Shop

 Gacia Tachejian, a former UCLA research scientist turned coffee roaster, celebrated the grand opening of her roast house and cafe in Tarzana on Jan. 7. The microbatch brand Laidrey is the first majority woman-owned specialty coffee roastery in the area. 

Known originally as a popular coffee cart serving one-of-a-kind cups of joe and artisan pastries, Laidrey’s first brick-and-mortar location is a modern rustic storefront on Ventura Boulevard. After a brief soft opening, Tachejian celebrated the grand opening with free brewed coffee and a pop-up collaboration called “Coffee and Co.” featuring other small, woman-owned businesses. 

“Because I’m a female roaster and I did a lot of research about women in coffee, and how more than 50 percent of coffee farmers are actually women, like in the field picking the coffee cherries off the tree, with this being a majority female-owned business and with me being a female coffee roaster, we kind of wanted to pay tribute to women in the coffee industry,” Tachejian said. 

As part of her mission to promote equity in the coffee industry, Tachejian works hard to ethically source Laidrey’s beans from the most sought-after regions in the world, partnering with companies that ensure equitable pay and opportunity to female coffee farmers. 

She roasts less than 12 pounds of beans in each microbatch, taking care to roast each type of bean – from Peru, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea and beyond – with the temperature and timing to bring out distinct flavors.

“One of the most interesting parts about roasting coffee is how every coffee origin behaves differently in the roaster, and how its processing changes the flavor. I have learned through practice how to be in tune with the beans, based on their wash or natural process, their density and moisture levels,” Tachejian said. “I love sharing the craft with anyone who is curious to learn.”

In addition to a full menu of brewed coffee, single-origin pour-overs, espresso-based specialty drinks, and nitro and cold brew lattes on draft, the Laidrey brand, named for Tachejian’s children (Leo, Aiden and Audrey), features microbatch, whole-bean coffee options for at-home drinks as well as a subscription box to have monthly deliveries of the specialty coffee delivered directly. The cafe also partners with local eateries, including small East L.A. wholesale bakery Bakers Kneaded and North Hollywood breakfast burrito maker Bread and Breakfast, to round out its breakfast and lunch options.

Tachejian is joined in the coffee roasting venture by her former UCLA boss and mentor, Marisa Briones and Briones’ husband Paul, a beverage industry professional. 

“We feel as though a lot of us miss that human connection and what better way to do that than over a cup of coffee,” Marisa Briones said.