Jackie and Thu met in a coffee shop, and that origin story fits. Jackie had worked as a designer in San Francisco, traveled to Iceland to photograph nature, and eventually opened a cafe in Prague. The pair launched Mazelab as a micro roastery in Prague in May 2023, and Jackie went on to place sixth at the 2024 World Brewers Cup Championship in Chicago, later releasing the Solo dripper he designed for the competition. Mazelab sources coffees that include lots from the winner of the 2024 Ethiopian Cup of Excellence, and the stated aim is always a clean, complex, expressive cup. The roastery and tasting room operate from their Prague base, though a secondary Korean location has been referenced in Japanese language sources. Mazelab carries 21,000 Instagram followers and a growing international reputation for a company barely two years old.