Jason Burton
Jason Burton started his professional career as a graphic designer, which included stints in St. Louis, Richmond and New York City. During that time he was awarded with design honors, including work published in industry books and publications. He also served as a chapter President of the American Institute of Graphic Arts for two terms. He has designed for music icons like G. Love and Special Sauce, and created packaging for Victoria's Secret that would be picked up by thousands of shoppers.
Besides design, Jason always had an interest for unique beverages. He left New York to discover the world of specialty coffee with The Roasterie in 2004. He worked as Marketing Manager for four years focusing on everything from design and public relations
to web marketing. Wanting to further follow his passion for food and beverage, he went to work as Brand Director for the Houlihan’s Restaurants specialty concepts, where he also served on their beverage and menu teams. In the fall of 2009, he created LAB 5702 based off an alias he was using for beverage writing.
During his decade-plus time in craft beverages, Jason has written for many industry and local publications, and traveled the country countless times studying local drink cultures and consumer habits within the beverage world. He has presented at national trade shows, and local classes. In 2011, The LAB created the Caffeine Crawl and plan to launch craft[E+D] in late 2016.
Outside of LAB work, Jason is passionate about his family time. He helps coach his son's sports, and loves vegging out with his wife and kids over a movie and takeout. He also gets involved with community activities, and has a group of friends that he kicks it with in his hometown of Kansas City.
Besides design, Jason always had an interest for unique beverages. He left New York to discover the world of specialty coffee with The Roasterie in 2004. He worked as Marketing Manager for four years focusing on everything from design and public relations
to web marketing. Wanting to further follow his passion for food and beverage, he went to work as Brand Director for the Houlihan’s Restaurants specialty concepts, where he also served on their beverage and menu teams. In the fall of 2009, he created LAB 5702 based off an alias he was using for beverage writing.
During his decade-plus time in craft beverages, Jason has written for many industry and local publications, and traveled the country countless times studying local drink cultures and consumer habits within the beverage world. He has presented at national trade shows, and local classes. In 2011, The LAB created the Caffeine Crawl and plan to launch craft[E+D] in late 2016.
Outside of LAB work, Jason is passionate about his family time. He helps coach his son's sports, and loves vegging out with his wife and kids over a movie and takeout. He also gets involved with community activities, and has a group of friends that he kicks it with in his hometown of Kansas City.
And a special shout out to Sadie Renee who has been a dedicated LAB teammate. Sadie will occasionally be a special guest on some of the BeverageLife stories, and you'll certainly see her on Caffeine Crawls.
Sadie Renee
A KCMO native, Sadie’s love affair with coffee began with a trusty Mr. Coffee pot and shared mugs of morning goodness around the kitchen table in middle school. She cruised through the remainder of adolescence on a wave of travel mug caffeination, and fell in love with the barista-customer relationship potential behind the bar of a Caribou Coffee in a Hy-Vee Grocery store.
A year at The Roasterie solidified her barista affinity, and a curiosity in the ‘behind the scenes’ workings of the high-energy machine that is specialty coffee led her to About The Coffee, where she brewed pourovers, sorted espresso machine parts and opened people’s eyes to the thrilling possibilities of the home brew bar.
This is where she met Jason Burton, and after her first Caffeine Crawl in Denver, she was hooked. Coffee and connections - what else is there, really? A few years as a volunteer Caffeine Crawl tour guide (and total groupie) accented a year behind the bar at Quay Coffee, and she came on board with The LAB in spring of 2014, travel mug in hand, spreadsheets at the ready.
Relocating to Fort Collins, CO in December of 2014 means she drinks all the local coffee she can get her hands on by day, and all the craft beer (and whiskey!) she pleases by night - with a mountain view whenever possible. Libation overlap? Usually - FoCo’s day drinking game is on point, and in her book, it’s never too late for more coffee. Behind the bar at Everyday Joe's as a volunteer barista part time, and behind the engaging details of Caffeine Crawl full time, she stays caffeinated and connected with frequent trips to Caffeine Crawl cities, and soaks up the thing she loves most wherever she finds it - community created over cups of coffee.
A year at The Roasterie solidified her barista affinity, and a curiosity in the ‘behind the scenes’ workings of the high-energy machine that is specialty coffee led her to About The Coffee, where she brewed pourovers, sorted espresso machine parts and opened people’s eyes to the thrilling possibilities of the home brew bar.
This is where she met Jason Burton, and after her first Caffeine Crawl in Denver, she was hooked. Coffee and connections - what else is there, really? A few years as a volunteer Caffeine Crawl tour guide (and total groupie) accented a year behind the bar at Quay Coffee, and she came on board with The LAB in spring of 2014, travel mug in hand, spreadsheets at the ready.
Relocating to Fort Collins, CO in December of 2014 means she drinks all the local coffee she can get her hands on by day, and all the craft beer (and whiskey!) she pleases by night - with a mountain view whenever possible. Libation overlap? Usually - FoCo’s day drinking game is on point, and in her book, it’s never too late for more coffee. Behind the bar at Everyday Joe's as a volunteer barista part time, and behind the engaging details of Caffeine Crawl full time, she stays caffeinated and connected with frequent trips to Caffeine Crawl cities, and soaks up the thing she loves most wherever she finds it - community created over cups of coffee.