The Astra Vela
story.

I grew up across the small communities of St. Lawrence County in New York. The North Country, where hard work, resilience, and showing up for the people around you were part of everyday life. Those values carried through five years of Division I football at Monmouth University, a workout with the Indianapolis Colts, and The Spring League in fall 2020, during a year disrupted by COVID.

When football did not continue the way I had imagined, I faced a choice: hold on to the path I understood or step toward something entirely new. In 2021, I tried rugby for the first time. I had never played the sport or even handled a rugby ball. That decision opened the door to a professional rugby career.

The path was shaped by setbacks, changing circumstances, and moments when belief had to come before proof. I learned that meaningful progress does not require every answer. It begins with seeing another possibility, trusting yourself enough to pursue it, and finding the courage to take the next step.

Astra Vela grew from that lesson. I created it for anyone pursuing a goal, beginning again, or trying to find direction when the way forward seems uncertain. Coffee is where we begin because every day offers another opportunity to reset, refocus, and move forward with intention.

Why coffee

Where Astra Vela begins.

Coffee has been part of my life since I was young. From early mornings in a cold hockey arena, to hunting camp, prep school, through college football, early classes, film sessions, training days, long drives, and every chapter that followed.

Rugby later took me to new countries, where coffee became part of some of my best memories with teammates and friends. We drank it in airports, on flights, at team hotels, and in cafés wherever we traveled. One flat white from a small café in Santiago, Chile, still stands out, not because it began my relationship with coffee, but because it was exceptional and is connected to a great time and place in my life.

That is what I value about coffee. It can be simple and familiar, yet still become part of how people begin a day, spend time together, or remember a particular moment.

That is why Astra Vela begins with coffee. It has been a consistent part of my life, and I wanted the brand to begin with something equally familiar and meaningful to other people. The larger vision extends beyond the cup, but coffee is the natural place to start.