About Us

Store History

Tired of going to Downtown Oakland or Emeryville for coffee, Ethan Ashley opened Kilovolt Coffee in April 2014 on a shoestring budget. Since that time we’ve adapted to rolling blackouts, a critical housing shortage for workers and now the coronavirus pandemic and related restrictions. Despite the obstacles we are optimistic about the future in Oakland and look forward to serving our customers for years to come!

Ethan Ashley

Ethan was born in Berkeley, California in 1984. He graduated from Berkeley High School in 2002 and obtained a BA in International Relations with a minor in Spanish from UC Davis in 2007. He enjoys drinking coffee, cooking, electric cars, learning new skills, outdoor sports and fixing things. He doesn't enjoy acronyms, titles, pedigrees, whining or appeals to authority. Visit his personal website or send him an email.

Mission Statement

Kilovolt Coffee is founded on the principles of independence, ingenuity, community and ecology. We are a company that strives for excellence while believing that every employee can be themselves at work. Our survival is attributed to our conviction that if you don’t know how, you learn how. We appreciate our customers for choosing an independent retailer. We appreciate our staff for their loyalty, reliability and hard work 52 weeks a year. We are committed to building Black wealth as well as keeping capital in the community. We avoid large carbon footprint foods, disposable plastics and carbon intensive heating and cooking as much as possible. We believe in a brighter future for tomorrow for everyone, we will get there by improving every year, let the journey begin!

Black Lives Matter 

Animals In The Store 

Trained service animals on a leash are welcome in our store, all other animals are prohibited per Alameda County Environmental Health.