If you like coffee, you’re going to love Mike Ayar’s second act.

Mike ran a highly successful software company for 24 years. With a niche focus, his organization served pest control companies, an industry Mike describes as “the absolute best service business in the world in terms of recurring revenue.”

In 2002 a private equity company began pursuing the purchase of his company and in 2006 they made him a financial offer “he couldn’t refuse.” After the purchase, he continued to run the company but finally departed in 2009. Mike had “no idea” what he wanted to do next.

A few years earlier, Mike had developed an intense interest in speciality coffee and in particular coffee roasting. Surprisingly, he had never tasted coffee until he turned 45. Waiting for a flight, he entered an airport Starbucks and ordered a double espresso. He was hooked.

Mike took a range of courses and seminars from coffee experts around the country. In 2011, he launched Turnstile Coffee Roasters in Belmar, NJ. The company has grown into a thriving cafe which also offers online coffee sales and wholesale services to other coffee shops and area restaurants. It’s a family affair with his nephew and two daughters actively engaged in the company.

Click here to learn more about Turnstile Coffee Roasters and their seventeen different blends of coffee from Costa Rica, Brazil, Guatamala, Ethiopia, Columbia, Nicarauga, Peru and Indonesia.