coffee roasting Roasting coffee transforms the chemical and physical properties of green coffee beans into roasted coffee products. The roasting process is what produces the characteristic flavor of coffee by causing the green coffee beans to change in taste. ...

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

coffee shop in Birmingham in October 2014 and operated 20 locations around the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, as well as two in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. The company acquired Boston, Massachusetts-based Wired Puppy and

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

-based

Octane Coffee Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula , and the condensed structural formula . Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers, 2,2,4- ...

in 2017 and operated coffee shops under their brands. Since 2020, most locations have shut down. Currently they have 2 locations in operation.

History

Foundation and expansion

Revelator Coffee was incorporated under the laws of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacen ...

on October 9, 2013. The company was founded by Josh Owen, Emma Chevalier and Elizabeth Pogue, who served as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

,

creative director A creative director (or creative supervisor) is a person who makes high-level creative decisions and, with those decisions, oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos. Creative director positions ar ...

and director of operations, respectively. The company was officially announced in March 2014, with its corporate headquarters, including their roastery, in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

They initially planned to open four shops, one in New Orleans, another in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

and two in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, it also extends into Marion County, Tennessee, Marion County on its west ...

, to serve as

pilot project A pilot study, pilot project, pilot test, or pilot experiment is a small-scale preliminary study conducted to evaluate feasibility, duration, cost, adverse events, and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale research pr ...

s. In February 2015, Revelator Coffee announced that they were moving their corporate headquarters and roastery to a 10,000

square feet The square foot (plural square feet; abbreviated sq. ft, sf, or ft2; also denoted by '2) is an imperial unit and U.S. customary unit (non- SI, non- metric) of area, used mainly in the United States and partially in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ban ...

warehouse located in Birmingham. The move aimed at drawing the company's offices closer to its Birmingham-based prime location, as well finding a central spot in the south-east of the United States. In January 2017, Revelator Coffee acquired Wired Puppy, a Boston, Massachusetts-based coffeehouse with outposts in Boston and

Provincetown Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Provincet ...

, after its owner was forced to sell the company due to staff shortage. In March 2017, Revelator Coffee announced that they were acquiring

Octane Coffee Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula , and the condensed structural formula . Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers, 2,2,4- ...

, an

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

-based coffeehouse chain Tony Riffel, who co-founded Octane Coffee in 2003, became a member of Revelator Coffee's advisory board as part of the two companies' merger, before later being promoted to director of

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and th ...

. The Octane Coffee brand was kept alive for usage on their shops, while both Revelator Coffee and Octane Coffee products were sold at each's locations. All Octane Coffee and Wired Puppy locations are set to be re-branded by July 2018. After this dramatic and rapid expansion, most locations were shuttered between 2018 and 2021. As of 2022, only two remain in operation. One in Birmingham, Alabama, and another in New Orleans.

Locations

Revelator Coffee operated 18 coffee shops and two restaurants across the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, as well as two further coffee shops in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. The first shop was opened in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

on October 22, 2014 in

Whitmire Lofts Whitmire can refer to: People * Bill Whitmire (born 1948), American politician * Chris Whitmire (born 1968), American politician * Don Whitmire (1922–1991), American football player * Emily Whitmire (born 1991), American mixed martial artist * ...

. It was the first of four locations set to serve as the company's

pilot project A pilot study, pilot project, pilot test, or pilot experiment is a small-scale preliminary study conducted to evaluate feasibility, duration, cost, adverse events, and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale research pr ...

s. The company has since expanded having shops in places that include Birmingham,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, Charleston, South Carolina, Chattanooga, and

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

. Several of the shops replaced other coffee shops.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , url=http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2015/02/revelator_coffee_to_open_roast.html , title=Revelator Coffee to open roastery, headquarters in downtown Birmingham , first=Kelly , last=Poe , date=February 17, 2015 , website= AL.com , accessdate=March 26, 2018 {{cite web , url=http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2015/10/revelator_coffees_first_year_1.html , title=Revelator Coffee's first year: headquarters opens, five shops in five cities and more to come , first=Kelly , last=Poe , date=October 20, 2015 , website= AL.com , accessdate=March 26, 2018 {{cite web , url=http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/03/revelator_coffee_to_open_in_wh.html , title=Revelator Coffee to open cafe in Whitmire Lofts , first=Michael , last=Tomberlin , date=March 24, 2014 , website= AL.com , accessdate=March 26, 2018 {{cite web , url=http://www.atlantamagazine.com/drinks/will-happen-octane-coffee-becomes-revelator/ , title=What will happen when Octane Coffee becomes Revelator? , first=Carly , last=Cooper , date=April 6, 2017 , website=

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, accessdate=March 26, 2018 {{cite web , url=http://www.atlantamagazine.com/bestofatlanta/empire-builder-revelator-coffee-company/ , title=Empire builder: Revelator Coffee Company , author=Atlanta Magazine , date=November 17, 2017 , website=

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, accessdate=March 26, 2018 {{cite web , url=https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8749-revelator-coffee-company-snapshot.html , title=Small Business Snapshot: Revelator Coffee Company , first=Brittney , last=Morgan , date=January 28, 2016 , website= Business News Daily , accessdate=March 26, 2018 {{cite web , url=https://dailycoffeenews.com/2014/03/31/startup-revelator-coffee-reveals-aggressive-plans-for-southern-growth/ , title=Startup Revelator Coffee Reveals Aggressive Plans for Southern Growth , first=Nick , last=Rown , date=March 31, 2014 , website= Daily Coffee News , accessdate=March 26, 2018 {{cite web , url=https://dailycoffeenews.com/2015/01/07/inside-upstart-revelator-coffees-first-bar-in-downtown-birmingham/ , title=Inside Upstart Revelator Coffee's First Bar in Downtown Birmingham , first=Nick , last=Brown , date=January 7, 2015 , website= Daily Coffee News , accessdate=March 26, 2018 {{cite web , url=https://dailycoffeenews.com/2015/03/30/revelator-coffee-opens-second-shop-in-chattanoogas-northshore/ , title=Revelator Coffee Opens Second Shop, in Chattanooga's Northshore , first=Nick , last=Brown , date=March 30, 2015 , website= Daily Coffee News , accessdate=March 26, 2018 {{cite web , url=https://www.eater.com/2017/3/31/15142184/revelator-coffee-octane-next-blue-bottle , title=Can Revelator Coffee Be the Next Blue Bottle? , first=Chris , last=Fuhrmeister , date=March 31, 2017 , website=