Daniel Charlson, owner of Tostadores de caf\u00e9 Dark Horse<\/a> on Adams Avenue, recently opened a Lake Tahoe location and soon plans to open coffeehouses in North Park and Golden Hill in September and October, respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n Charlson, 32, said he and his co-owner and brother, Bryan Charlson, chose to expand their business because of their employees.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe only reason we are expanding is because we have so much potential in our employees,\u201d said Charlson, who opened his original location in 2013. \u201cI want to set them up and have them insert their personalities into Dark Horse. Without them there\u2019s no way we\u2019d be expanding.\u201d<\/p>\n Faith in their employees is what prompted the recent opening of a Lake Tahoe location. Charlson said his first employee, Drew, moved to Truckee, a small town near the lake, and from there they decided to open a coffeehouse.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe found a spot and we opened a Dark Horse,\u201d Charlson said. \u201cFew things in life work out so perfect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The North Park location will be on 30th and North Park Way, and the Golden Hill location will be situated at 811 25th Street. The company is unique in that it doesn\u2019t offer espresso drinks. Rather, it offers customers handcrafted coffee with the beans roasted in-house.<\/span><\/p>\n But Charlson wasn\u2019t always in the coffee business. He grew up building homes with his dad in Hawaii, then went on to earn his degree in audio engineering. He worked in marketing until he roasted his first batch of coffee while living in Seattle.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI decided to end my 10 year quest to become a working audio engineer and switched gears to coffee,\u201d said Charlson, who moved to San Diego in 2011. \u201cThe day I roasted my first green coffee in a pot I was on the hook.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A part of him and his brother always knew they\u2019d opened their own business though.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are always talking about business ideas,\u201d Charlson said. \u201cThis was the first one I pulled the trigger on. The biggest challenge was making the leap. Once I was committed, it was sink or swim. I\u2019m good at swimming.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWorking with my brother is my dream,\u201d Charlson said. \u201cWe are our best versions of ourselves when we are together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Aside from working with Bryan, Charlson credits Dark Horse\u2019s success its team mentality.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important lesson I\u2019ve learned is that Dark Horse is no longer mine. My co-workers and I are Dark Horse, and it\u2019s so much better that way,\u201d Charlson said. \u201cWe collaborate, we argue, we laugh. Together, we are doing something special that our customers enjoy and cherish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Dark Horse is currently looking to hire roughly 15 people for its locations in North Park and Golden Hill. For more information, visit darkhorseroasting.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Daniel](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/DSC_0152web.jpg\")
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