What Drives Aaron MacDougall, Founder of Broadsheet Coffee Roasters in Cambridge

‍

TLDR

When Aaron MacDougall returned to Boston after nearly two decades overseas, he brought with him a sharp mind, a deep curiosity, and a surprising new passion: coffee. Having spent 17 years in international banking, much of it as a managing director in Tokyo, Aaron had seen the inner workings of high finance. But somewhere between the spreadsheets and global markets, he started wondering if there might be more satisfaction in pouring cups than managing portfolios.

While in Hawaii, he discovered the craft of home roasting and quickly fell down the rabbit hole of specialty coffee. The move may have seemed unlikely, but to Aaron, trading the finance world for a roastery felt like a return to something more tangible and community-driven. He founded Broadsheet Coffee Roasters in 2017 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the goal of combining quality coffee with thoughtful education and a strong neighborhood spirit.

A Roastery That Educates and Elevates

Broadsheet is built around one clear mission: to help more people discover and enjoy exceptional coffee. From the very beginning, Aaron prioritized education alongside quality, offering tastings, training sessions, and a staff culture rooted in continuous learning. His belief in personal growth and daily improvement is mirrored in the care with which each coffee is selected, roasted, and brewed.

The café, outfitted with a state-of-the-art Loring S-15 roaster, sources beans from trusted growers in Ethiopia, Peru, and Guatemala. Behind every bag of beans is a story of sourcing, transparency, and careful roasting—a process Aaron continues to lead himself. His work has not gone unnoticed: he's a certified Arabica Q-Grader, a Good Food Awards winner, and a two-time finalist in the U.S. Roaster Championship.