SAN QUENTIN, Calif. — There’s something to be said about a good cup of coffee.
Owner of Big House Beans John Krause said he loves his job picking the right bean for the different ways they serve and offer coffee, such as the Honduras bean, for their espresso.
“I just think it’s unique. It blends well with the milks, it tastes good by itself and it’s just a beautiful coffee. And it’ll wake you up,” John said.
It’s been a nine-year journey for Krause to own two Big House Beans locations. His journey to becoming a business owner, some might say, is different to most.
He is a former inmate at San Quentin Prison for various drug offenses.
“I was in-and-out, in-and-out. It was the vicious cycle we see so often today and it was nothing short of a miracle to be able to break that cycle,” he said.
The father of five credits support through faith and the network of people he met through his church with helping him get back on his feet. Second chances, Krause said are hard to come by for convicted criminals.
Now with his business, he’s helping others like him get that second chance he believes many deserve.
“We’ve had some great success stories where I’ve been able to share my experience, strength and hope with these other men. And help them grow and move onto bigger and better things in their lives,” Krause said.
The prison Krause spent a year in solitary confinement will soon be transformed.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, as part of his State of the State tour, announced he will move the death row inmates out of San Quentin and turn it into a rehab and educational facility for inmates on lesser sentences.
Former patrol officer Assembly member Tom Lackey believes the governor is too one sided when it comes to public safety reform.
“You the aggrieved and you have the accused. And we’re supposed to have some sort of balance. Well, I can’t remember the last time that this governor has pushed a policy considering victims,” Assembly member Lackey said.
For Krause, he knows he can’t change his past, but he said he can be a change for good in the future.
“We want to start a men’s discipleship home. Ultimately, that means we want to take men in that are ready to change.”
Not all the people Krause helps are success stories, but like the coffee he roasts and brews, he said he’ll continually work on finding the right ingredients to help as many as he can.