Aug 20, 2026
Welcome to Chatter with BNC, Business North Carolina's weekly podcast, serving up interviews with some of the Tar Heel State's most interesting people.
On today's episode, Ben Kinney speaks with Jay Gestwicki, founder and director of coffee for Charlotte's Magnolia Coffee Company. Jay shares his nearly 30-year journey in the coffee business, from his early days managing restaurants to opening Caribou Coffee's flagship location in Charlotte, to eventually launching Magnolia in 2010. They dive into the art of specialty coffee sourcing, how terroir affects flavor, and the craft of small-batch roasting. Jay also discusses how COVID reshaped his business, his partnership with entrepreneur Mac Lackey, and Magnolia's support of the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The conversation wraps with a lively debate about the greatest rock and roll band of all time.