# Jeffrey Dietrich

> Jeffrey Dietrich is a bioengineer-turned-coffee-founder who built Rarebird around paraxanthine, the molecule your body actually makes when it metabolizes caffeine. After a PhD at UC Berkeley in Jay Keasling's lab and nearly a decade co-founding and running R&D at the industrial biotech company Lygos, Dietrich turned his own dwindling caffeine tolerance into a company. Rarebird sells decaffeinated specialty coffee infused with lab-grade paraxanthine, promising the lift of coffee without the jitters, crash, or ruined sleep. Backed by Y Combinator, AgFunder, and two NSF grants, the company holds U.S. patents on the process and won the Specialty Coffee Association's Best New Product award.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Rarebird, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Rarebird, Inc., Lygos, UC Berkeley, Rice University, Y Combinator
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, Bioengineering, Rice University, PhD, Bioengineering (Jay Keasling lab), University of California, Berkeley
- **Known for:** Built the only patented paraxanthine-based coffee, holding U.S. Patents 11,872,232 and 12,178,820, Named Best New Product 2023 by the Specialty Coffee Association, Awarded two NSF research grants, including $1M in 2025

## Career timeline

- **2011** — Co-founded Lygos, an industrial biotech replacing petroleum-derived chemicals with bio-based alternatives; served as CTO
- **2016** — Lygos goes through Y Combinator (W16); raises over $40M in equity and $10M in federal awards
- **2019** — Departs Lygos after nearly a decade to pursue a new venture
- **2020** — Founds Rarebird with co-founder AD Andracchio; participates in Y Combinator
- **2023** — Rarebird begins shipping (Feb); launches subscriptions in August; named Best New Product by the Specialty Coffee Association
- **2024** — Awarded U.S. Patents 11,872,232 and 12,178,820 covering paraxanthine coffee and production methods
- **2025** — Secures $1M NSF research grant; raises seed funding to expand e-commerce, B2B, and R&D

## Achievements

- Built the only patented paraxanthine-based coffee, holding U.S. Patents 11,872,232 and 12,178,820
- Named Best New Product 2023 by the Specialty Coffee Association
- Awarded two NSF research grants, including $1M in 2025
- Backed by Y Combinator and AgFunder
- Co-founded Lygos, which raised over $40M in equity financing and $10M in federal awards
- PhD in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley in Jay Keasling's lab
- Rarebird holds a 4.9/5.0 rating across 345+ verified customer reviews

## Latest updates

- **2025-02** — Rarebird secured $1M (NSF-linked funding) to expand e-commerce, B2B, and R&D
- **2024** — Granted second U.S. patent (12,178,820) covering paraxanthine coffee and production methods

## Links

- Website: https://rarebird.coffee
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreydietrich

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/jeffrey-dietrich
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-01