Ryan Hatch got his first taste of coffee as a boy on his grandparents’ ranch.

“They had these little blue camper mugs, from maybe the 1950s. They’d drink their morning coffee out of them. I’d go around after everything was all cold and drink (what was left),” Hatch said.

Now a full-fledged coffee aficionado, Hatch has opened coffee shops or drive-thru coffee businesses in Connell, Pasco and West Richland in the last several years. In September, he became the new owner of the former Indaba Coffee on Gage Boulevard in Kennewick.

The shop’s name is changing to Flying X Coffee, the moniker used by all of Hatch’s coffee ventures. It’s an homage to the brand used on his family ranch in the Ephrata-Soap Lake area.

“We want to become a spot for the community, where they can come and enjoy what we hope will be the best coffee in Eastern Washington,” said Hatch, who declined to give the purchase price.

“When you think of specialty coffee in Washington state, a few names come to mind. We want to be right up there in terms of what people think of as quality,” he said.

In a Facebook post, the Enslow family – owners of Indaba Coffee, which started in Spokane and has multiple locations – praised Hatch, writing, “we are excited to see Ryan’s passion for specialty coffee and local roots continue to make this shop the best shop in the Tri!”

Hatch said he expects the signs to change from Indaba to Flying X Coffee by December.

The shop will continue to serve Indaba coffee, and Hatch also will bring on other roasters “so people can have a new experience along with their familiarity,” he said.

The hours will be the same, and don’t expect big changes to the menu.

“We’re really hoping to add more than subtract. We want to enhance the quality,” Hatch said.

Hatch and his wife, Carrie, who works as the special education director for the North Franklin School District, have two sons, 4-year-old twins Mavrick and Everett.

For Hatch, “the initial thing that brought me into coffee was the combination of science and art that it takes to brew the perfect cup. It’s an ongoing journey. Having a place like this is going to allow me to continue that journey with other people who are also interested in coffee,” he said.

Hatch is focusing his attention on the Gage shop, as his Connell, Pasco and West Richland ventures sold or have closed. It’s a place that’s meaningful to him and his coffee journey, he said.

Hatch started frequenting the shop back when it was The Local, before it sold to Indaba.

It always represented quality to him, he said.

“It’s a legacy I want to continue, it’s not a shop I want to take over. Right now, I just happen to be the steward of this place. This place is bigger than me or anybody that’s come before me,” he said. “Understanding that and being appreciative of that is really important.”

Flying X Coffee is at 8530 W. Gage Blvd., Suite E., Kennewick.