The team at Intentional Espresso, a specialty coffee catering company based in the Pacific Northwest, knows that the best events stay with people long after they end. That’s why they designed their coffee bar to create moments that feel personal, intentional, and worth talking about.
Owned by Randy Matheny and co-owned by Katie Matheny, Intentional Espresso serves luxury weddings, corporate events, conferences, trade shows, nonprofit galas, product launches, and brand activations throughout Oregon, Washington, and beyond.
The company believes coffee is about much more than serving espresso.
“Our couples and corporate clients aren’t simply looking for caffeine,” Katie explains.
“They’re investing in hospitality, guest engagement, and memorable experiences.”
That philosophy shapes everything Intentional Espresso does.
Coffee as a hospitality experience
From the beginning, Intentional Espresso was built around the idea that coffee naturally brings people together. Whether guests are attending a conference, celebrating a wedding, or visiting a trade show booth, the coffee bar creates a natural place to slow down, gather, and start conversations.
Instead of treating coffee as another catering station, Intentional Espresso approaches it as part of the overall event experience.
The company has become known for creating premium mobile coffee experiences that blend handcrafted beverages with thoughtful presentation, personalized details, and interactive guest engagement.
Coffee becomes the catalyst, not the activation
As Intentional Espresso expanded into corporate events and experiential marketing, Katie began looking for ways to make coffee work even harder for her clients, and drink printing quickly became one of the company’s most valuable tools.
“The printed drink isn’t really the activation,” she says. “It’s the catalyst that encourages people to interact – with the brand, with each other, or with the event itself.”
Rather than beginning every client conversation with “What would you like printed?”, Intentional Espresso starts somewhere very different.
“We ask, ‘What do you want people to know, feel, or do because of this event? And how can coffee help move the needle toward that outcome?'”
Once those goals are clear, the drink designs become much more intentional. A product launch may call for campaign artwork. A networking event might use conversation starters printed directly onto drinks. A trade show booth may invite attendees to personalize their own beverages using the Ripples Web App. A wedding could feature engagement photos, monograms, pet portraits, or artwork that reflects the couple’s story.
Coffee simply becomes another communication channel.
Turning campaigns into conversations
One activation that still stands out for Katie involved an employee appreciation event for Columbia Sportswear.
On the surface, it was an internal thank-you event. Behind the scenes, it was also an exclusive preview of the company’s upcoming partnership with Robert Irwin before the national campaign launched.
Employees arrived expecting great coffee. Instead, they found: crocodiles, Robert Irwin’s portrait, and campaign artwork appearing directly on their drinks.
“The moment people realized what they were seeing, the room changed,” Katie recalls.
“They gasped, laughed, called coworkers over, pulled out their phones, and immediately started taking photos. Coffee became the reveal.”
Another memorable activation came during the Wellbeing Think Tank annual HR conference. Instead of focusing on surprise, the goal was connection. Sponsor logos appeared alongside encouraging messages that reflected the conference’s theme. Guests naturally lingered around the coffee bar, introducing themselves, beginning conversations, and connecting before sessions started.
Designing drinks that actually work
Katie often encourages brands to think beyond simply printing their logo.
“A logo certainly has its place,” she says, “but people are much more likely to photograph and share a personalized selfie, a clever message, or a unique piece of artwork.”
The team also advises clients on the technical side of drink printing. Bold fonts, high-contrast graphics, and thicker lines generally produce the strongest results. Highly detailed photography often works beautifully on iced drinks printed over smooth cold foam, while traditional lattes usually benefit from simpler artwork that stands out against the milk.
By bridging creative strategy with technical execution, Intentional Espresso helps ensure every printed drink delivers the experience clients are hoping to create.
Standing out in a competitive market
Adding drink printing has helped Intentional Espresso attract clients looking for premium hospitality experiences rather than traditional coffee catering.
Because the company has produced activations across conferences, trade shows, product launches, luxury weddings, and nonprofit events, it has built an extensive library of real-world inspiration to help future clients imagine what’s possible.
The company even created its own Latte Printer Experience Guide, encouraging organizations to think beyond logos and explore creative guest engagement ideas.
Katie says the Ripple Maker coffee printer has become a true differentiator. It helps Intentional Espresso win projects, attract higher-end clients, and start conversations with organizations looking for unique ways to engage their guests.
“Our first Ripple Maker and case paid for themselves within roughly six events, and we’ve since expanded our fleet,” Katie says.
She explains that many clients now specifically seek out Intentional Espresso because of its latte-printing capabilities. “It has become a major differentiator for us, especially in the wedding and luxury event market,“ she says. “The printer has absolutely become a differentiator that helps us win projects and opens conversations with clients who are looking for something unique.”
Beyond helping secure higher-tier bookings, Katie says the Ripple Maker latte printer has also increased “word-of-mouth marketing, social sharing during events, guest interaction, and brand memorability.”
Today, operating multiple Ripple Makers gives businesses the ability to manage multiple events simultaneously while supporting high-volume operations with ease.
“Additionally, because we operate multiple Ripple units, we’re able to support both large-scale events and multiple simultaneous weddings on busy weekends.”
It helps Intentional Espresso win projects, attract higher-end clients, and start conversations with organizations looking for unique ways to engage their guests.
Turning wedding coffee into part of the celebration
Intentional Espresso has also helped redefine how coffee fits into weddings.
Rather than simply serving espresso after dinner, the coffee bar becomes another memorable guest experience. Some couples choose engagement photos. Others feature their pets, custom illustrations, meaningful phrases, or monograms.
At one summer wedding, the company printed the couple’s dogs, Nala and Odin, directly onto the lattes while naming signature drinks after them. (International Espresso). Guests gathered around the coffee cart, compared prints, filmed the process, and immediately began sharing photos.
Another wedding featured the couple’s engagement photos printed directly onto drinks, transforming a familiar part of Middle Eastern hospitality into an emotional surprise for family and friends. (International Espresso)
For another celebration aboard a historic sternwheeler on the Columbia River, the drinks featured illustrations of the couple, their monogram, and iconic Pacific Northwest landmarks that reflected their story. (International Espresso)
Lessons for event professionals
Begin with the guest experience. The most memorable activations start with hospitality, not technology.
Focus on outcomes instead of artwork. Ask what guests should know, feel, or do, then design drinks that support that goal.
Treat coffee as a communication channel. Printed drinks can introduce products, spark conversations, reinforce messaging, and create memorable interactions.
Personalization creates participation. Selfies, artwork, conversation starters, and event-specific designs encourage guests to engage naturally.
Differentiate through experience. Intentional Espresso has shown that drink printing isn’t simply an add-on. It’s a way to create premium hospitality experiences that guests remember long after the event ends.
Visit Intentional Espresso’s website or follow them on Instagram to see more of their wedding, corporate, and experiential coffee activations.
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