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Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited to
enhance readability.

The coffee shops of Des Moines are filled with a number of artists and unique individuals. One of the most notorious characters on the Des Moines coffee scene is Daniel Bosman. With tattoos lining his arms and legs and long blonde hair, he splits his days between a variety of careers and hobbies. Over the past 15 years, Bosman has developed his skills as a radio talk show host, a barista, a father and a beekeeper. Bosman owns three hives, each holding around 20,000 bees. I sat down with him to find out what motivated him to pursue these passions in the first place. 

You work a number of different jobs. What all do you do?

Mostly I do coffee! I’ve been a barista for 13 years, and I love it. Until recently, I have also worked as a DJ on the radio. I hosted a local show on 106.3 here in Des Moines for the past 15 years but was laid off recently from iHeart Media.

How’d you become involved in these fields?

I graduated from Grand View College 15 years ago in communication and had always wanted to work in radio.  That dream has slowly faded as I’ve fallen in love with coffee.

Okay, but what about the bees?

I’ve been interested in bees my whole life. A few years ago, I bought an acreage in Runnells, and that’s when I got the idea that I could actually keep bees. I took a class at DMACC, which was very informative and a bit daunting. I realized I needed to learn more and start gathering my own equipment.  I started traveling to a bee farm called P&P Honey in northern Iowa last year. It was a crash course in beekeeping for me; I started the year with one hive and ended it with three. It’s a ton of fun watching the bees every day because you really start to understand their behavior.

What’s the craziest experience you’ve had beekeeping?

I had one of my hives swarm; it was crazy! That is when the queen senses that the hive is too full, so she lays a new queen, takes half of the bees and leaves. It’s a crazy process because if you can catch them, you’re essentially starting a new hive. You need to have extra equipment ready to go because all hives will swarm at some point. The hive’s main goal is to produce as many bees as possible and save as much honey as possible for the winter.

How do you incorporate your hobbies into what you do?

I’ve tried to keep my hobbies a bit separate from work, at least for now. I’ve found that beekeeping can be a very nice escape from daily stresses, just because you have to be so focused on what you’re doing. It’s fun to talk about my hobbies at work, and it was really great to be able to share some honey with my coworkers at Mars.

How long have you been working at Mars? What’s the most fun part about being a barista?

I’ve been at Mars for 13 years; it’s crazy how fast it has gone by. I fell in love with the job and serving quality coffee right away, but what has really kept me here is the social element to my job. Being a barista is about as social of a job as you can find. Meeting hundreds of people a day can be crazy; you get to see the best and worst in everybody. My best friendships have been formed through work as a barista, both in coworkers and customers.

Bosman strongly values his relationships with his family, customers and coworkers. On top of his jobs and hobbies, he invests his time in raising his two children by cultivating experiences such as concerts and cross-country road trips. If you want to chat with Bosman, you can find him at Mars Coffee Bar pouring lattes and chatting about his most recent adventure on most weekday mornings.