In Hale‘iwa Town, Bird’s Nest Coffee Co. Is a Roost for Craft Coffee

The Bird’s Nest offers breakfast burritos from Surf n Salsa and house-made pastries. Pictured here is its blueberry donuts alongside a single-origin espresso. Photo: Sarah Burchard

Rarely am I given a choice of origin when I order an espresso. So when it happens at The Bird’s Nest Coffee, I take notice. Co-owner Caleb Backus asks if I’d prefer a nutty, chocolatey Columbian-Ethiopian blend ($3.75) or a single-origin espresso ($4.75) from Ethiopia with higher acidity and strawberry notes. I choose the latter. Moments later, Backus hands me a china teacup filled with a perfectly pulled shot covered in thick, caramel-colored crema and asks if I’d like sparkling water on the side.

The Bird’s Nest Coffee opened in May in the center of Hale‘iwa town. A converted 1950s gas station with a yoga studio attached, this coffee-lover’s haven has become a neighborhood gathering place. 

Photo: Sarah Burchard

Backus, a wedding videographer from Tennessee, had his coffee epiphany eight years ago when his college roommate convinced him to try a cup of single-origin Colombian coffee instead of his usual Folgers. “He’s like, ‘You should taste cotton candy notes in this.’ I was like, ‘Whatever,’” Backus says. “I took a sip, and I remember from that moment being like, ‘Whoa! What is this world?’”

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From then, Backus has been on three pour-overs a day. In 2021, he came to O‘ahu for the ocean and never left. Two and a half years ago, wanting to replicate his coffee epiphany for others, he began looking for space to open a coffee shop. He was beginning to lose hope when he met Madelyn Ballew, a barista from Texas who worked at Surfer’s Coffee in Wahiawā and Wicked Hi Cafe in Waialua. Ballew’s passion for coffee matched his. The couple had been dating nine months when they started selling pour-overs and their signature Birdy Brew, a cold brew concentrate used for coffee drinks, at pop-ups out of Backus’ 1966 Ford Ecoline. 

“We saw this lack in the community of pretty much just high-quality, intentionally sourced coffee,” Backus says. “And so we’re like, let’s bring that to people.” 

Photo: Sarah Burchard

Six months later, Ballew spotted the former gas station on Kamehameha Highway; a month after that, there was a For Rent sign in the window. Now, Bird’s Nest Coffee is filled with colorful vintage rugs and flowers and a comfy brown leather sofa with free Wi-Fi and sunshine pouring in. For sale are locally made clothing, flowers, organic skincare and jewelry. A yellow and red Shell gas pump sits in the corner, a nod to the building’s past. 

Backus, who researches each roaster’s sourcing, price paid to farmers and those farmers’ growing and harvesting practices, carries lighter roasts for pour-overs and light to medium roasts for espresso. Lattes ($5.50 to $7) are Ballew’s forte. Every morning, she tinkers with different Pono Potions syrups, types of espresso and whatever else is on hand, offering tastes to customers for feedback and perfecting new latte foam art designs.

Photo: Sarah Burchard

Non-dairy milks are made in-house. There is also Uji matcha ($6.50) sourced from The Daily Whisk, unsweetened chai ($6.50) from Soul Chai in Portland and a turmeric latte ($6.50) made on Hawai‘i Island by ‘Āina Culture with locally grown turmeric, ginger, cacao and black pepper. Fresh-pressed juices include a green juice blend and one with carrots, oranges and turmeric ($9). 

On my way out, I notice Backus has walked around the counter to chat with a customer about a bag of coffee beans from Ecuador. He’s explaining to him the process of anaerobic wash.

“Our big focus is taking care of the regulars,” he says. They’ve been there from day one.”

Open daily except Thursday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 66-532 Kamehameha Hwy, thebirdsnestcoffee.com, @thebirdsnestcoffee