Three Ships Coffee started in a garage by the beach with a simple goal: make really good coffee and share it with people who care. Amy and Brad Ewing didn’t come from the coffee world. She was a wine sommelier, he was a software developer. What they shared was curiosity, a love of flavor, and a belief that coffee could bring people together in a real way.

In 2013, Amy began roasting coffee in their Shadowlawn garage. On Saturdays, they set up a 1973 Coachman trailer at the Old Beach Farmers Market, serving cold brew, pour overs, and long conversations about coffee. The trailer wasn’t fancy, but the energy was contagious. People came for the coffee and stayed for the connection.

As more folks caught on, Brad left his job and the two built their first café in Virginia Beach’s Vibe District. It opened in 2016 and quickly became a spot locals could call their own. Alongside adventurous coffees came buttermilk biscuits, homemade pop-tarts, and pastries that turned into weekend rituals.

Today, Three Ships has grown into a small team of roasters, bakers, and baristas who take pride in their craft and their community. We roast every Tuesday and handwrite the date on every bag, a small reminder that your coffee was made fresh that week. Each roast celebrates its origin, farmer, and the story behind it.

From the garage to our cafés in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, one thing has stayed the same: care in every step, from seed to cup. We still believe good coffee can bring people together and that hard work, done with purpose, always shows through in the cup.