I was fortunate to sit down with Jalen “Jay” McLean, creator of SPILL, in October of 2023 at Living Room in Maplewood–his choice when asked for a great coffee shop–to chat all things brand, entrepreneurship, St. Louis, and coffee. Duh.
The NFL was Jalen’s first love. Growing up in North Carolina and playing football since he could walk, he attended East Carolina University with plans to be on the football team. “That was tough,” he said, after a letdown of his walk-on desire. “I realized it’s not my path, and that’s ok.” So now what?
Jalen’s math skills led him into industrial and system engineering, working on a military base but wanting something more. St. Louis came calling for him in 2018. Well, Boeing, that is. “Oh thank God,” he said about the job offer. “It was a spark of positive things.” He moved to St. Louis, near Hampton and 40, working a job he liked with people he liked. “Boeing felt like an extension of college.” His location also led him to Comet Coffee on Oakland (along 40, near Mac’s Local Eats). And that’s where the coffee culture? Connection? Commitment began.
“I had that [Comet] coffee and it changed my life.” Jalen enjoyed not only the coffee, but the presentation, saying, “Wow, I wanna make coffee like that.” The pandemic allowed him to practice his coffee craft, adjusting beans, grind sizes, water temperatures, and more. “I don’t think I’ve missed a day [of making coffee] since 2020. It’s my favorite part of the day.”
Eventually, Boeing brought him down to its hub in Huntsville, Alabama, where Jalen appreciated the new start all over again. He chatted about finding himself there through therapy, walking through parks, going out/drinking less, and listening to inspiring podcasts: “Diary of a CEO, Tim Ferriss, Huberman Lab, and… Call Her Daddy,” he said with a laugh. We reveled in our love for therapy and I shared my podcast themes: true crime and marketing.
A relationship brought Jalen back to St. Louis where he dialed in on the process of making coffee. After working from home during the pandemic and in Alabama, he found himself here in the office again and wanted out. Jalen went back to his favorite coffee shop, Comet Coffee, and saw they were hiring. “I just left,” he said about Boeing. At Comet, he learned more about the business of coffee and wanted to be his own boss. So, SPILL started to emerge.
During a long drive to Springfield with his girlfriend, Jalen thought of the name. “She spills her coffee all the time,” he said. He also realized, “My favorite part of [of coffee making] was giving it to her… huh.” The serving, the reactions, the teaching… he wanted to bring this all into his new venture. He had the name, the newsletter (Spilling the Beans), now he just needed the visuals. This is what first drew me (Katie) to Spill–the branding!
“Where’d the bear come from? I love him,” I told Jalen. He laughed, explaining he’d burnt his hand when he was young and leaving the hospital, staff gave him a stuffed bear. We chatted about everyone has their comfort thing, a blanket, a stuffed animal, etc. Then Jalen showed me his tattoo, “The design was actually this first.” There was his stuffed bear on his forearm. “And, you know the show The Bear?” Jalen asked. DO I KNOW THE SHOW THE BEAR? OF COURSE. We ranted about our love for the show and he said, “I treated working at Comet like The Bear. I think that’s why I had so much fun.” So, a bear, a coffee cup with a drip down the side: the brand was created.
What’s SPILL up to these days? It’s a mobile coffee brand with a full coffee cart coming soon. Recent popups have been at Field Theory in Webster Groves, the Body + Mind Block Party, and Two Six Fitness. “That’s the beauty of it,” Jalen said. He can go anywhere. He hopes to be in Forest Park one day, one of his favorite places in the city. “I like to move,” he laughed, nodding to his many moves across the country.
SPILL coffee specializes in only black coffee. Jalen knows that can seem scary to some, but he enjoys teaching and encouraging his customers to give it a try with his many flavors and notes. “A woman tried it and said, ‘The coffee was so good, I’m only drinking pour over black coffee now.’ That warms my heart,” said Jalen.
I aim to end each interview with two questions:
- What’s your favorite neighborhood in St. Louis?
- What are some of your favorite small businesses/organizations/etc. in St. Louis?
Jalen noted Central West End and Forest Park as his favorite places to be, as well as Tethered Plant Shop, Curate (Webster Groves), and Mesa Home (Cherokee Street) as small businesses everyone should check out. “It’s a slow burn of consistency and creativity,” Jalen said about creating his business, and I couldn’t agree more.
PLEASE follow Jalen at @dailyspillcoffee for great coffee and content.
