Our Story
Hi, I’m Lillie Hyde, the founder and roaster behind Hyde Away Coffee.
Since I was 16, I have dreamed of starting a coffee roasting company.
A decade later, it's finally happening!
It starts in a coffee shop.
I was 14 when my family moved to a new town, Owensboro, Kentucky, where everything and everyone were unfamiliar.
That changed when we took over the local, downtown coffeehouse.
That little shop became my sanctuary.
I'm an inherently quiet and shy gal, but behind the counter, I found my voice.
We often see the "bartender-therapist" trope in movies, but I've never seen anyone depict baristas in the same way.
They truly should.
The coffee shop customers became my dear friends, each of whom I looked forward to seeing as they walked in the door.
That place helped shape the woman I would become.
It was where I first saw the quiet power of hospitality. It offered comfort, belonging, and a way for people to be known. I didn’t know it then, but I was already falling in love... with coffee, yes, but even more with what it represents:
refuge.
When I was 16, I started dreaming of opening my own roastery. I called it “Refuge Roasters."
I drew the logo and tucked it away in my Bible. It's stayed there for a decade, reminding me daily of my dream.
But life unraveled fast.
At 17, my father left in a storm of betrayal, threats, and abuse.
With him went our home, our coffee shop, and everything familiar.
I became homeless overnight. No money, no address. Just a 1986 Lincoln Town Car, a suitcase full of notebooks, and some hope.
Here’s the thing:
God is in the business of restoring what’s been broken.
I met Damian - my steady, kind-hearted husband - and together we started over. We built a life from next to nothing.
Along the journey, we welcomed our precious sons, Emery and Leland.
I randomly fell into a remote job as Development/Project Manager for a software company. I spent my days solving tech problems, leading a team, and raising my babies.
I was thankful for the stability, but deep down, I still felt the quiet pull of something I hadn’t finished.
Then, everything came full circle.
Nine years to the day after I drew that old “Refuge Roasters” logo, I left my tech job to be home full-time. No more Zoom calls. No more rushing. Just slow mornings with my boys, time in the garden, and the soft return of a long-held dream.
That’s the day Hyde Away Coffee came to life.
The name is a gentle nod to my married name, Hyde, a "rebrand" of the original business plan, and a promise that has carried me through it all.
Psalm 32:7 says, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
This roastery is my offering to the world. A safe haven. A refuge. A hiding place.
Every bag I roast is done with intention. To me, every cup is a reminder that beauty still rises from ashes.
Hyde Away Coffee exists to give people a pause, a moment to breathe, reconnect, and remember what matters.
Here, we care about quality, not pretense.
We source coffee responsibly and roast it locally.
We give back to missions that fight for the vulnerable, like Destiny Rescue, because I know what it’s like to need rescue.
Welcome to Hyde Away Coffee - where coffee is roasted with care, and refuge is always near. :)
HYDE AWAY COFFEE
Psalm 32:7 • Ft. Wayne, IN
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