Meet the People
We are a product of our people.
A ragtag assembly of renegade baristas, bartenders, and chefs hellbent on providing indelible experiences for our guests.
Collectively, our team has well over 100 years of Hospitality experience.
it’s our passion, our purpose, and our why.
We’re working on getting our whole crew up here, but in the mean time, here is just a few.
We can’t wait to serve you.
Ryan Castelaz
Partner | chief executive officer
11 years in hospitality
Ryan is the best selling author of “the new Art of Coffee: From Morning Cup to Caffeine Cocktail” (Rizzoli, 2023), resident mixologist at fox 6 news, and creator / co-host of the podcast “Hot Coffee for the Creative Soul”. He has served as a brand ambassador for Espro, apothekary, and Free Spirts, and has hosted workshops on drink making and creative thinking throughout the us, France, and Canada. His drinks have been enjoyed coast to coast, twice featured on the Emmy nominated pbs show “Wisconsin Foodie”, and covered in print in food & wine, Barista Magazine, punch mag, plate magazine, daily coffee news, and many others.
A wild dreamer and bleeding romantic since birth, Ryan sees drink as liquid expression, rife with story and emotion . When he isn’t putting things in cups behind the pine, you can find Ryan with a book, microphone, or camera in hand, dreaming about drink.
Sean Liu
partner | chief operational officer
13 years in hospitality
Sean Liu’s love of coffee is evident from his extended background in the industry. His experience began at Prospect Alterra Coffee, better known as Colectivo Coffee, in 2013, while attending UW-Milwaukee for Biology. From a part-time barista, he worked his way up from his position to general manager of US-Bank Colectivo, and later Bayview Colectivo.
Sean has dedicated his time learning the craft of the cup alongside the fundamentals of a successful cafe operation. In his most recent position, he helped establish a craft coffee programs for Gillette Children’s Hospital (St Paul, MN), and Milwaukee Tool HQ (Milwaukee, WI). in just over 18 months, sean has successfully grown the discourse crew from a 2 person pop up to more than 15 team members across 3 locations, resulting in a nearly 20x growth in revenue.
When not behind the espresso machine, sean layers himself with interest in wrenching on vintage motorcycles, and various outdoor hobbies.
Olivia Molter
Brand architect
Olivia molter is a freelance artist and graphic designer. Olivia rebuilt the Discourse brand in 2021, and has since created hundreds of stunning illustrations, menus, and designs for our team. She left an indelible Impact on our company and culture, and played a tremendous role in establishing Discourse in Milwaukee. While no longer a partner, Olivia’s legacy at discourse lives on through her artistic vision.
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