Alinea Coffee Roasters was founded in the end of 2018 by Michael Matthews in New Orleans, Louisiana, starting with a small Arc 800 roaster before upgrading to a Diedrich IR 12 as orders grew. Matthews built the business around the idea of educating consumers on where coffee originates, who produces it, and the price paid to farmers. The roastery carries only seasonal single origin coffees sourced from Central and South America, East Africa, and the Western Pacific, roasting to order each Monday. Matthews also serves as coffee director and lead barista at Bearcat, a breakfast and lunch restaurant in downtown New Orleans, where he runs the coffee programme using Alinea beans. He placed 11th overall in the U.S. Coffee Championships in 2023 and rose to 3rd place in 2024.