Lance Hedrick spent a decade bouncing between every job the coffee industry offers: barista, kitchen hand, roaster, trainer, manager, wholesaler, consultant.
He reps wholesale for Onyx Coffee Lab now. He's won multiple competitions—including the Coffee Fest World Latte Art Championship—and built a YouTube channel that pulls 500,000 subscribers. On Patreon, he shares what he's learned without selling out. He turns down sponsorships that don't meet his standards. That refusal made him trusted.
Early Career and Education
Hedrick didn't plan to work in coffee. He's from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He visited Searcy, Arkansas during a church camp at Harding University and liked the school's study-abroad setup enough to enroll. He wanted to play football and become a philosophy professor[1].
At Harding, he majored in general studies—a degree that let him travel to 30 countries, beatbox for an a cappella group, play rugby, act in a play, and teach koine Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew in Greece[2].
After his bachelor's in 2014, he enrolled in a Master's program at Harding School of Theology. He planned to get a doctorate at the University of Kent in England. Those plans collapsed when coffee became more interesting.
His first coffee job was barista at Kibo Midnight Oil in Searcy[3]. His manager, Zak Kelley, taught him latte art. Hedrick got good fast. Customer reactions hooked him.
The Art of Latte
Hedrick's latte art career started on Instagram. The @lancehedrick account hit 5,000 followers from latte art posts alone. He connected with other artists, learned new techniques, and practiced with four-time UK Latte Art Champion Dhan Tamang[4].
Competition and Recognition
Hedrick won the Coffee Fest Latte Art World Championship Open multiple times[5]. He's also taken first place in roughly 30 local throwdowns. Competition sharpened his skills. Winning proved them.
Coaching and Mentorship
Hedrick coaches other baristas. Andrea Allen trained with him through the US Barista Championship and World Barista Championship[6]. In 2022, he spent two months preparing Morgan Eckroth—a fellow YouTuber—for the World Barista Championship in Melbourne[7]. Eckroth won the US title and finished second in the world.
Eckroth's routine explored the intersection of livestreaming and coffee culture. She published a video series on her preparation and released her signature drink recipe. Hedrick doesn't coach just to win trophies. He wants people to know more. The competitors he trains go on to place at world championships. Their success proves his methods work.
Onyx Coffee Lab and Current Role
Hedrick's official title at Onyx Coffee Lab is wholesale rep. That undersells what he does. He tinkers with equipment, runs quality control, and optimizes workflows. His job is sales. His actual work is fixing systems.
Digital Presence
Hedrick built a YouTube channel with over 500,000 subscribers. He posts educational coffee content: equipment reviews, brewing tutorials, grinder comparisons. His Instagram and TikTok accounts show latte art and answer follower questions. He doesn't just post. He replies. He's friends with James Hoffmann.
Financial Ethics and Transparency
Hedrick turns down sponsorships that don't meet his standards. He won't review products he doesn't believe in, even if it burns bridges with manufacturers. He keeps his full-time job at Onyx to stay financially independent from YouTube revenue.
He spent $42,000 on his YouTube channel in 2022[8]. His YouTube and Patreon earnings covered it. He doesn't run the channel for profit. He runs it to teach. That transparency makes people trust him.
Future Endeavors and Upcoming Projects
Hedrick designs coffee equipment now. He worked with Breville to develop the Lance Hedrick dual boiler espresso machine[9]. He developed the ProBrew burrs for the Pietro 58 grinder with Fiorenzato[10]. These aren't endorsement deals. He helped engineer the products.
More projects are coming. More YouTube series. More equipment collaborations. Probably more competitions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lance Hedrick's current role in the coffee industry?
Lance Hedrick serves as a wholesale representative at Onyx Coffee Lab, where he handles sales, quality control, and equipment optimization. He maintains a full-time job to stay financially independent from his YouTube channel.
What are Lance Hedrick's notable competition achievements?
Lance Hedrick has won the Coffee Fest World Latte Art Championship multiple times and accumulated approximately 30 first-place finishes in various latte art competitions and local throwdowns.
How large is Lance Hedrick's YouTube following?
Lance Hedrick has over 500,000 subscribers on YouTube, where he posts educational coffee content including equipment reviews, brewing tutorials, and grinder comparisons.
What products has Lance Hedrick helped develop?
Lance Hedrick collaborated with Breville to develop the Lance Hedrick dual boiler espresso machine and worked with Fiorenzato on the ProBrew burrs for the Pietro 58 grinder.
Who has Lance Hedrick coached?
Lance Hedrick has mentored Andrea Allen (US and World Barista Championship competitor) and Morgan Eckroth (2022 US Barista Champion and World Barista Championship runner-up).
References
- About Lance Hedrick Retrieved from LanceHedrick.com
- Searcy latte artist to compete in world championship Retrieved from Arkansas Democrat Gazette
- Barista Challenges Latte Art Skills Retrieved from Harding.edu
- Maeva's Coffee latte art competition to benefit The Nature Institute Retrieved from The Telegraph
- 333: Bridging the Professional and Home Barista Gap w/ Lance Hedrick of Onyx Coffee Lab Retrieved from Keys To The Shop
- Lance Hedrick Instagram Post Retrieved from Instagram
- Morgan Eckroth Profile Retrieved from Wikipedia
- Lance Hedrick and Other Coffee Influencers Retrieved from Home-Barista Forum
- The Breville Lance Hedrick Dual Boiler is here Retrieved from Facebook
- Lance Hedrick just confirmed that he developed the ProBrew burrs for PIETRO Retrieved from Reddit