An unmarked, steel garage door in historic Manchester rolls open to reveal a warehouse filled with neatly stacked rows of kegs. Standing next to a walk-in refrigerator, childhood friends Terry Darcy and Mike Woitach take inventory of their oaked cold brew. They look confident, like two guys just waiting to shake up an industry.

Darcy and Woitach are on a mission to change the way Richmond drinks coffee. They use a non-heated brewing process that takes places over 24 hours to create a product that has lower acidity, a higher caffeine content, and a deeper range of flavor compounds.

Determined to create more than a regular cup of Joe, the duo launched Confluence Coffee Co. in 2015 at Glen’s Garden Market in D.C. with little more than a Kickstarter campaign and an incubator kitchen. Starting a Coffee Business from home can seem daunting, but it didn’t take long for the coffee world to recognize that Darcy and Woitach were brewing something special, and within a year Confluence made the jump to Richmond in search of a larger production facility. Today Confluence operates out of 700 Bainbridge Street (previously occupied by Blanchard’s Coffee), where it continues to push the limits of flavor profiles, brewing methods, and coffee roasts.

“We call it Confluence because we take tons of inspiration from craft beer and wine and apply it to coffee,” explains Woitach.

And with that, Darcy, who studied neuroscience and biochemistry, rattles off the many ways the two like to tinker with the process, ranging from how long their beans are refrigerated to how long they’re steeped. Clearly knowledgeable about his craft, Darcy explains in great detail how Confluence oaks their coffee to add a smoky character with natural sweetness.

“I like taking the concepts learned in biosciences and applying them to cold brew,” says Darcy. He credits the idea of using toasted oak chips to Hardywood Brewery, where he logged hours helping out and shadowing some of Richmond’s best brewers, who were using a similar process for their bourbon barrel-aged stout recipe.

While Darcy focused on product formulations and the right brew methods, Woitach used his background in business to grow the company through an impressive list of local partnerships. Naturally, he started with the beans.

“We’ve been using Blanchard’s through and through,” says Woitach with the excitement. He explains that Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Company was a clear choice for them when it came to Richmond’s black gold. They began with Blanchard’s Fair Trade Organic Honduran for its notes of toasted almond and salted caramel. By calibrating their cold brews around Blanchard’s beans, Woitach and Darcy were able to create the roast profile they were seeking. From there, Confluence worked with River City Cannery to place their nitrogenated coffee in cans.

And when it came time to getting their product out to the masses, Woitach says that the decision was easy.

“As soon as we launched, Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market was the first place we called.” With Ellwood’s owner Rick Hood behind the product, Confluence became a store favorite and shoppers quickly snatched the canned cold brew off the shelves. Before the two friends knew it, they were installing their original oak recipe, called The Original, on nitro tap at Carytown Cupcakes to give it the creamy consistency of a Guinness beer.

Today their business has grown into what they call “a third wave coffee company,” focused on sensory experience. The Original sells at brick-and-mortar locations throughout Virginia as well as in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, D.C., and Kentucky. A recent deal with Whole Foods and RelayFoods.com will ensure the business continues to grow.

As the popularity of cold brew trends upwards, Woitach and Darcy have used the success of Confluence to call attention to their beliefs. In between discussing various brew methods and flavor profiles, they can’t help but to also emphasize their commitment to sustainably sourced coffee. Woitach points out that the driving force behind Confluence is to make a unique product that is good for the whole supply chain. That includes sourcing ingredients responsibly and paying a fair price for them.

“We consider ourselves a social brand,” says Woitach, proudly holding a can of The Original. “We’re excited to bring Confluence to Richmond’s vibrant community and to make an immediate impact.”