Brewed for Takeoff: How One Veteran’s Love for Flight is Transforming Specialty Coffee Roasts
By Shawn Staerker
Ever wondered what happens when aviation passion meets coffee obsession? Just ask Josh Cook, founder of Legendary Aviation Coffee Company, who’s changing the coffee game one specialty roast at a time.
California Dreams to Texas Schemes
Born and raised in Southern California, Josh’s story doesn’t begin with coffee at all. It starts with planes—lots of them. Growing up near Edwards Air Force Base and attending numerous air shows, young Josh was captivated by the F-117, P-51 Mustang. He even caught glimpses of the SR-71 Blackbird.
“I was always captivated by airplanes and helicopters,” Josh recalls. “Aviation has always been in my blood.”
What Josh didn’t know until recently was that his aviation obsession wasn’t random—both his grandparents were pilots! After joining Army Aviation in 2004 as an aviation operational specialist, Josh served for eight years, rising to the rank of E6. His military experience shaped his work ethic and approach to everything that followed.
The Coffee Awakening
Here’s where the story takes an unexpected turn. Would you believe Josh actually HATED coffee?
“I did not like coffee at all,” he admits. “I had to have fruity-style coffee.”
Everything changed during a trip to Baltimore when Josh stumbled upon a specialty coffee shop. Expecting the usual bitter, lifeless brew he’d come to despise, he instead discovered something revelatory.
“The owner comes out and asks, ‘Have you ever had a pour-over, like an Ethiopian pour-over?’ I didn’t know anything. He made me a pour-over with him at the table, and it was probably one of the coolest cups of coffee I’ve ever had.”
That Ethiopian coffee—smooth, creamy, flavorful, with no sugar or cream needed—sparked something. Josh learned that coffee naturally contains about 800 different flavors, and the Arabica variation alone has roughly 150 varieties.
His engineering brain was instantly fascinated.
Birth of a Legend(ary) Company
Back in California, Josh dove headfirst into the coffee world, connecting with mentors who helped him understand specialty coffee. Meanwhile, he was watching “How I Met Your Mother” and kept hearing Barney Stinson’s catchphrase: “It’s going to be legen…wait for it…dary!”
That word stuck. Legendary.
Josh wanted to create something meaningful, something that connected his two passions: aviation and quality coffee. Thus, Legendary Aviation Coffee Company was born.
“Let’s keep to the older style of aircraft—the B-29s, B-25s, B-17s, F-4 Corsair, F-117s, U-2—and keep that culture and history alive through coffee,” he explains. “But let’s match the coffee to the aircraft when it comes to the nuances.”
For example, the B-52 Bomber—a heavy, powerful aircraft—is paired with a full-bodied coffee to match its character. Each specialty coffee roast has a purpose and a story tied to aviation history.
Not Your Average Specialty Coffee Roasts
What makes Legendary Aviation Coffee’s specialty coffee roasts different from other brands? Several things:
- They’re small-batch specialists: While big brands roast hundreds of pounds at once, Legendary keeps batches under 60 pounds to maintain quality.
- They focus on single-origin beans: Instead of blending cheaper beans with a small percentage of premium ones, Josh showcases specific farms and regions.
- They use air roasting: Only about 5% of coffee roasters use this method, which Josh compares to smoking meat versus grilling it. “We are the smoking side of cooking beef versus a grill being the conventional where you’re just on it two minutes a side and you’re done.”
The result? Specialty coffee roasts that are cleaner, more vibrant, and don’t linger on the tongue or give you “coffee breath.” As Josh puts it, comparing his coffee to mass-market brands is like comparing “a Brazilian steakhouse to a $5 steak from a low-end grocery store.”
Taking Flight on Social Media
When Legendary Aviation Coffee officially launched to the public in April 2023, they had just 237 followers. One year later, they hit 17,000+ followers—all organic, without paying influencers or using “flashy girls” to promote their brand.
How? By connecting with aviation enthusiasts through authentic content, partnerships with organizations like Airplanes and Coffee (a nonprofit giving free discovery flights to kids), and sharing the genuine passion behind their specialty coffee roasts.
Their authenticity resonated. In 2024 alone, they went viral six times, becoming “the fastest growing aviation-branded coffee company in the United States.”
Giving Back Is Part of the Mission
What truly sets Legendary apart is their commitment to giving back. They donate 10% of proceeds to one of six nonprofits that Josh has personally vetted, including organizations that help veterans transition to civilian aviation careers.
This commitment to service recently led to huge news: Legendary Aviation Coffee is now the official coffee sponsor for Sun ‘n Fun, one of aviation’s biggest airshows. They’re not just showing up—they’re giving back through a three-tiered approach with different percentages of sales going to support aviation education.
“I believe in what they do for the kids and for the future of aviation,” Josh says of Sun ‘n Fun’s educational mission.
The Legendary Future
From a California kid obsessed with aircraft to an Army veteran to a coffee entrepreneur connecting aviation history with premium brews, Josh Cook’s journey shows what happens when passion meets purpose.
Legendary Aviation Coffee continues to grow, bringing specialty coffee to aviation enthusiasts nationwide while supporting causes that matter. You can find them at major airshows like Sun ‘n Fun or online at LegendaryRoasters.com.
What’s Josh’s dream aircraft to fly? While the SR-71 Blackbird’s speed tempts him, he’d choose the B-2 Stealth Bomber—an aircraft that used to fly directly over his house in Lancaster.
Want to hear Josh’s full story and more insights about aviation, entrepreneurship, and premium coffee? Listen to his complete interview on The Future in Flight Podcast Episode #5—availble here: https://futureinflight.com/legendary-aviation-coffee-co
Learn more about Legendary Aviation Coffee Company on their website: https://legendaryaviationcoffee.com/
