Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters President Roberto Torres on the Grind Behind the Grind

It’s not about the coffee. Owning a coffee shop is about connecting with people. So says Roberto Torres, president of Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters. What started as a local coffee concept has grown into a company with eight locations across Tampa, including a presence in Tampa International Airport.We met up with Torres at Blind Tiger’s Ybor City location. In this conversation, Torres shares his journey from being an accountant in his native Panama to owning one of Tampa Bay’s most revered local brands with his business partner, Luis Montanez. He also pushes back on the romanticized idea of owning a coffee shop and explains how entrepreneurship is like a classic video game.