The Short Pour

Here's the story in a few sips.

THE WHY

Create a coffee chosen by ALF Senior Fellows, bringing different perspectives together over one great cup.

THE INITIAL ORDER

15 lbs total:

  • 30 custom 4 oz bags for gifting

  • 15 custom 8 oz bags for retail.

THE ROAST

Two Coffee Blend

Brazil Cerrado + Guatemala Huehuetenango

Roast Level: Medium

THE EXPERIENCE

  • Community coffee tasting

  • Custom packaging

  • Event gifting & retail

How it works
How it works
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DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
COMMON GROUND.
ONE REALLY GOOD CUP
OF COFFEE.

Logo of the American Leadership Forum with intertwined red, blue, and yellow ribbons and text indicating Houston/Gulf Coast region.

MSTRY COFFEE x
American Leadership forum

MSTRY partnered with American Leadership Forum Houston/Gulf Coast to create the Wake Up & Lead Roast—a custom coffee selected not in a boardroom, but by the Senior Fellows who make up the ALF community.

We figured that if you're gonna make a coffee for the people, you should probably let the people vote.

American Leadership Forum (ALF) brings diverse leaders together across differences to build trust, strengthen community, and serve the common good.

ALF (American Leadership Forum logo)
Graphic design featuring the text "Wake Up and Read Roast" with each word in bold, colorful letters on a black background.
Packaging of Wake Up and Lead Roast coffee with torn paper effect revealing colorful comic book style background, labeled as medium blend with Brazilian Cerrado and Guatemalan Huehuetenango beans, 4-ounce net weight.
Yellow artistic scribble or calligraphic design on black background.
A bag of Wake Up and Lead Roast coffee with a torn design revealing colorful comic book style dots behind the text. The label indicates it is a medium blend with Brazilian Cerrado and Guatemalan Huehuetenango beans, containing chocolate, toasted nuts, bright fruit, and caramel flavors. The bag weighs 4 ounces (114 grams).
Red abstract calligraphic design on a white background.
Black background with a large, stylized blue infinity symbol.

THE ASK WAS SIMPLE.

Can ALF CREATE A coffee…chosen by ALF?

We thought so.

There was also a little personal connection: one of MSTRY’s co-founders happens to be a Senior Fellow from ALF Class 65—widely considered (by Class 65) to be the greatest class in ALF history.

It started as a simple idea—hosting a tasting experience for the Class Connectors who helped make ALF’s record-breaking 2026 Annual Giving Campaign possible.

During that event, MSTRY showed up with three very different coffees to choose from.

Three Chemex coffee makers with paper filters and coffee inside, placed on digital scale counters, on a white table in a workspace. An empty metal gooseneck kettle and coffee bags are also visible.

The MSTRY Tasting Experience

Single Origin (Option 1)
CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Deep and rich, with notes of dark chocolate, tobaco, and paella, creating a warm, grounded cup with a lingering finish.

BLEND (Option 2)
BRAZILIAN CERRADO + GUATEMALAN HUEHUETENANGO

Rich chocolate and toasted nuts meet bright fruit and caramel sweetness.

Single Origin (Option 3)
HUEHUETENANGO, GUATEMALA

Bright and layered, with cocoa depth, fruit-forward character, and a clean finish.

Three very different perspectives on what an ALF coffee could be.

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

*

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN *

Three large stainless steel coffee dispensers with black lids and handles on a white countertop. There are paper cups stacked in front of the dispensers, and packets of coffee labeled "Wake Up and Leaf Roast." A small sign with info about leadership and coffee is also on the counter. In the background, there are baskets with snack items and a coffee station.

There was an early favorite.

But ALF is built on bringing more voices into the conversation, so we kept tasting.

Class Connectors shared samples with other Senior Fellows. The ALF team handed out bags of coffee at events through the summer.

Folks shared each of the three options with more folks.

More cups were poured, more opinions arrived.

And after weeks of highly caffeinated civic engagement, there was a winner.

First, a quick note on branding.

BOLD COFFEE DESERves
A BOLD BAG.

When ALF President Nory Angel named the coffee
‘Wake Up & Lead’, she had a pretty clear design brief:

Make it look like someone punched through the bag.

Fair enough.

The result is bright, loud, unapologetic, and impossible to miss.
An expression of the energy ALF brings to leaders in Houston.

Also, the coffee inside needed to live up to it.
Good thing it does.

Introducing the
ALF Wake Up And Lead Roast

Package of Wake Up and Lead Roast coffee with black, red, yellow, or blue design, torn paper effect revealing the product name and flavor, Net weight 4 oz (114 g).

WAKE UP & LEAD

A balanced, crowd-friendly medium roast blend that brings together the rich chocolate and nutty sweetness of Brazilian Cerrado with the brightness and complexity of Guatemalan Huehuetenango.

Details

Acidity

Medium-low to medium

Body

Smooth, rounded, and satisfying with a soft, creamy mouthfeel.

Finish

Smooth, sweet, and clean

Expect lingering chocolate and caramel with a light fruit brightness toward the end.

Odds & Ends

Aroma

Chocolate
Caramelized sugar
Bright fruit

Flavor Notes

  • Milk chocolate

  • Toasted nuts

  • Caramel

  • Brown sugar

  • Red fruit

  • Light citrus

  • Cocoa

  • Praline

COFFEE HAS ALWAYS BROUGHT PEOPLE TOGETHER.

Turns out, that makes it a pretty good fit for ALF.

Around a table, differences don't have to disappear.

Perspectives can collide. Stories can be shared.
Trust can grow.

And somebody can always pour another cup.

A torn packet of coffee placed on a wooden table in front of several mugs and a glass of iced beverage, with people sitting around the table in a bright room with large windows.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN COFFEE BECOMES PART OF THE STORY.

Wake Up & Lead could have been another branded giveaway.

Instead, it became something people helped choose, showed up to experience, talked about, took home, and now associate with ALF.

That’s the opportunity.

Your event can have its own roast.
Your organization can have its own blend.
Your people can help choose it.
Your story can live on a bag.

And unlike another pen, tote bag, or piece of swag, coffee gets opened.

It gets brewed and shared and it starts conversations.

That’s why this works. This ain’t “branded coffee”…

It’s your coffee. Ready to get started? Fill out that form below.

HOW IT WORKS

Everything you need to know about creating your very own roast.

Learn more

Holler at us

Imagine your own coffee. 
For your team. Your fans.
Your clients. We’re ready.