
So many of the stories that we seek to cover fall underneath the umbrella of local makers, men and women creating with their own two hands a local economy movement. We often meet these folks for the first time and get to know their stories in coffee shops, partly because we’ve typically driven several hours to be there and are simply (visibly) in need of the caffeine. But partly, there simply isn’t a better place to meet a stranger you’re sure to soon call a friend.
Creating a magazine is actually a lot like opening a coffee shop. There’s oodles of them out there, and you have to decide what’s going to make this different, make it yours. And in some cases there’s just overlap. It’s inevitable. You’re still serving the same product, but the hope is that you catch that crowd who’s still seeking that thing you’ve got to offer. We want our stories to have depth, to encourage; not to quell fears, necessarily, but at least to say that they’re worth facing. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t sometimes entertaining, but we’re seeking to share narratives that may require a bit more of the reader.
Enter Revelator Coffee Company, a fresh charter of craft coffee purveyors sprawling across the Southeast at an impressive rate. Revelator is a new breed, meeting their customers with an invitation to dig deeper into their own understanding of the beverage they’ve come to consume. Leading the foray are Josh Owens, Emma Chevalier, Elizabeth Pogue, and a recent addition, Meredith Singer. Originally a New Orleans based company, they’re striking up through Alabama to Tennessee, and soon scaling even further east. The so-far trio of shops is already making it’s mark on the South’s cityscape. They’ve got the ambition and a marketing strategy of a much larger company, but a resilient commitment to honoring the local community wherever their shops settle. From the merino wool blankets of Virginian Nordt Family Farms stocked on their merchandise shelves, to the Louisville Stoneware right out of Kentucky that cups each hand-crafted beverage they pour, they invite their customers to share in their adopted heritage. Among the fine coffee culture emerging, Revelator sets itself apart with bold visions of becoming a Southeastern staple.