I AM BLACK HISTORY | Tio Fallen

Tio Fallen

Tio Fallen is Black History because he embodies a powerful truth: you do not have to choose between precision and passion. You can be technical and creative. You can build infrastructure and build culture. You can engineer systems and still move with soul.

A Houston based mechanical engineer and co founder of Three Keys Coffee, Tio’s life is a masterclass in integration. His journey bridges engineering, music, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and family. And at every intersection, he chooses excellence.

Engineering Excellence

Tio earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida A&M University and later completed his master’s at the University of Michigan. He began his career with BP before taking on leadership roles with BHP and Woodside, contributing to complex offshore and subsea projects across multiple regions.

Today, he serves as a Project Lead in the energy sector, operating at the intersection of technical engineering, project management, and people leadership. His work has included major subsea and topsides projects that require precision, accountability, and strategic execution.

He is a licensed Professional Engineer, a designation that represents years of rigorous study, testing, and real world application. In industries where Black engineers remain underrepresented, Tio’s presence alone expands possibility.

But his story does not stop there.

Jazz, Curiosity, and Coffee

Long before coffee, there was music.

Tio played trumpet from the age of eight through college, including as a member of the Florida A&M University Marching Band. Jazz shaped how he thinks about rhythm, balance, improvisation, and craft. That musical foundation would later influence his entrepreneurial journey in unexpected ways.

What began as late night caffeine during study sessions evolved into curiosity about origin stories, farmers, and flavor profiles. By 2017, Tio was sourcing beans directly from producers and roasting coffee at home. His engineering mindset merged with his creative instincts, blending technical precision with artistry.

In 2019, he and his wife Kenzel officially launched Three Keys Coffee in Houston. The name is a nod to the three valves of a trumpet, symbolizing harmony, craft, and expression.

Three Keys Coffee quickly gained national recognition. In 2022, it was named Best Coffee Roaster in Texas by Food and Wine Magazine. Tio placed in the Top 10 at the US Roaster Championship Finals in both 2023 and 2024. He is also a licensed Q Arabica Grader, a credential that reflects elite level expertise in coffee evaluation.

Their roastery operates on solar power and incorporates sustainable practices such as recycling coffee chaff as fertilizer. Every blend is thoughtfully curated, often paired with jazz playlists that invite customers to experience coffee as culture.

Faith, Family, and Discipline

Tio often references faith and the Mamba Mentality as anchors in his life. For him, success is simple. Be better today than you were yesterday. Be better tomorrow than you are today.

He and Kenzel are parents to three sons. Family is not an afterthought in his story. It is the center. Whether leading engineering teams, roasting beans, coaching his children, or traveling the world, Tio’s commitment to growth extends beyond career metrics.

His life demonstrates that excellence is not compartmentalized. It is holistic.

Why Tio Fallen Is Black History

Black History is not only written in politics or protest. It is written in boardrooms, laboratories, classrooms, kitchens, and roasteries.

Tio Fallen represents a generation of Black leaders who refuse to be boxed in. He expands representation in engineering, champions sustainability in business, and weaves culture into commerce. He shows young Black boys that you can love jazz and science, faith and entrepreneurship, family and ambition all at once.

He builds pipelines in the Gulf. He builds flavor profiles in Houston.

He builds legacy at home. Tio Fallen is Black History because he engineers excellence in every arena he enters. And he does it with soul.