When Emma Chevalier, Josh Owen, and Liz Pogue started roasting in The Big Easy, it was the start of something huge. By 2015, Revelator had a roasting facility in Birmingham, Alabama with cafés in Atlanta — and they were just getting going.

How did Revelator get started?

"Go to New Orleans, something’s bound to happen. For Emma, Josh, and Liz, Revelator happened. We wanted to build a coffee brand with a big geographical footprint that stretches across the deep South. In our first year, we built our roasting facility and opened five stores in 10 months with a pretty small team. It was fast and trial by fire."

Why did you choose the name Revelator?

"Revelator has a Southern cadence. The word rolls off the tongue with a wavy rhythm — a mix of intrigue and superstition, like a timeless story. We like the weight and feel of it. There’s a sense of discovery in it, a bit like coffee itself. There’s no grand meaning to it, the name just seemed to fit with the right sentiment."

How did you design your bags?

"We had to re-up our inventory and saw it as an opportunity to be a bit more environmentally responsible. We knew we wanted to move to PBI’s popular Biotrē™ 2.0 packaging, and — based on feedback from our customers and grocery suppliers — we also sought some structural improvements by going with the block bottom and resealable closure. Beyond bag structure, the design keeps it short and sweet. On the front label, we decided to highlight the most approachable pieces of info for our customers: coffee’s country of origin and a couple of simple tasting notes. More detailed origin and processing information is there still, we just moved it to a back label, which gives us a little more room to dive into these elements for the curious."

How did your barista sponsorship program come about?

"The sponsorship program came out of a conversation about the obstacles that prevent individuals from participating in these events and how, in a small way, we can help encourage more diversity in the coffee event community. Representation is critical for everyone's growth and the industry's progress."

Where do you see Revelator in the next five years?

"We consider opportunities as they come. That said, we’d like to strengthen our relationship within our communities, serve more coffees to more people, and become more meaningful partners to our coffee suppliers and producers at origin."