Uncloud Coffee

The end of a journey

In February of 2026, I decided to close Uncloud Coffee for the indefinite future.

For those who don't know, Uncloud Coffee was my passion-borne side gig: a mobile coffee business that served filter-only specialty coffee, specialty teas, and other tasty, flavorful treats. The name came from a quote from the film Princess Mononoke, by Hayao Miyazaki: "to see with eyes unclouded."

This idea was central to the existence of Uncloud Coffee: to provide a reprieve from the constant inoculation of stimuli we receive from our busy, constantly accelerating environments. Our branding was minimal, our beverages weren't over-sugared, and we took every opportunity we could to slow down and talk with our customers. In this way, it was relational. Our customers, many of whom were previously strangers to specialty coffee, were able to learn the names of the farmers who produced their coffees and oftentimes made an effort to pay attention to the nuances of flavor our clarity-forward cups of coffee offered.

And it was beautiful. Uncloud Coffee's two years of operation will always stay with me as treasured memories. It has been an honor to provide the first experience of specialty coffee for so many people, and I can picture the faces of so many people that we engaged with over the past two years. Especially meaningful are the ones who returned: people who sought us out at recurring events to catch up and seek their next beautiful pourover.

Given all this, the decision to close was not easy. As Uncloud's operations went on, it slowly became clear that if the business was to succeed, it would require more and more of my time and effort (and, to be frank, capital,) which started to leech away the resources I had to devote to the good of my spouse and three (soon to be four) children. While the business did prove its viability and had an overwhelmingly positive response from customers, the gap between an experimental side-gig and a sustainable full-time business was simply too large to cross without endangering the means necessary for fulfilling the needs of my family.

As for now, while I feel the sadness that is tied to closing the door on a project that I tirelessly devoted myself to for two years, I also feel relief, and an optimistic sense that my journey in specialty coffee is far from over. More than anything, though, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude from the experience. I feel gratitude for the large cast of friends and family that devoted their time and efforts to helping me, either on bar, setting up, or in the background. I feel gratitude for the experiences and opportunities afforded to me through this journey, which let me devote myself to specialty coffee to a degree I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. I feel gratitude for every customer we had, for those people who tried something new, and for those who returned for more. I feel gratitude for every business we interacted with, from coffee roasters to event coordinators, who trusted us enough to do business with us and give us these beautiful opportunities. And lastly I feel gratitude for every cup of coffee and tea we were able to brew and serve; each one represents an honor and a privilege, and a beautiful, singular time and place preceded by farmhands, producers, shippers, importers, roasters and finally us, the brewers.

The name Uncloud has, subconsciously, become a bit of a moniker for myself over the past few years, which will carry on as I continue to engage specialty coffee and the industry that produces it, as it represents my own personal mission and ethos. This personal website will be an expression of this and certain other endeavors, and will likely be mirrored by the Uncloud Coffee Instagram account which will be retooled for the same purpose.

Thank you, reader, for listening to this little story, and for visiting my website.

Abram Johnson
atikhon // uncloud
atikhon@tutanota.com

Special Thanks

Partnered Coffee Roasters

Passenger Coffee & Tea
SEY Coffee
Moonwake Coffee Roasters

Businesses who supported us

Fresh Grounds Coffeehouse / Sans MOCO Art Gallery
Reeves Information Technology
Creative Lee Repurposed

Friends & family who offered themselves as volunteers and helpers

Reagan Hook; Lucas Campbell; Khendra Campbell (honorary Uncloud employee <3); Evan Campbell; Ben Campbell; Josiah Milette; DJ Dart; Suzanna Johnson; Marty Johnson; Martha Johnson; Gus Redick; Daniel Camp; Bill Kitch; Ethan Iverson; Lukas Johnson

Many more people who supported me in various ways

Rick & Carol Lee; the kind folks in Brian Quan's Discord community (not least of which are Brian, Harry, and Robert); Commodore Perry XC Boosters; Dave & Carla Campbell; Greenville Chamber of Commerce; Friends of Goddard State Park; Margi & Ryan Brunson; Mabel Yeung; Nita, Bea, & Lucy Glassman; Willow Fork Homestead; Spectrum Alpaca Farm; Hook Family; Missy Kohl; Gregory Family; Milette Family; Melissa Johnson; Bryan "ondoman" Choi; the parishioners of St. John's Orthodox Church; Camp Nazareth; Loposky Family; Baughman Family Community Center; The Girls Next Door Salon; Jairen Milette; Benjamin Beck; many, many, more <3