The fickle Memphis weather threatened to rain on Daniel Lynn’s parade when he launched the inaugural Grind City Coffee Xpo back in 2019. Gathering storm clouds eventually morphed into a raging monsoon, with Lynn worried that the gales and heavy rain would keep people away.
“I was concerned for sure, but we had about 500 people come out that first year,” recalls Lynn. “After seeing that, I knew we were onto something. If we got 500 people to come out in a monsoon, that convinced me we could build on the event.”
Lynn has sustainably grown the Grind City Coffee Xpo over the past couple years. Every successive iteration sees the addition of a few new vendors, representative of the organic growth of Memphis’ coffee community. Inspired by the Science of Beer event held at the Memphis Museum of Science & History, the result is a celebration of all things coffee, with everything from roasters to traditional shops to various health and wellness vendors. The comprehensive package covers everything that coffee enthusiasts would want from an event but also strives to welcome newcomers and give advice on how they can best approach coffee.
“Our event puts beauty over competition,” says Lynn. “Many similar expos will have shops competing against each other, and there is, of course, some friendly competition here. But this is about bringing everyone together under one neutral roof. It’s all about building community. And it’s also hyper-educational. We ask vendors to come prepared to answer any questions people might have.”
Don’t expect to find only simple roasts at the Grind City Coffee Xpo, held this year at Wiseacre HQ on November 5th. Lynn gives the vendors free rein to experiment as they will, whether that’s focusing on their prime product or trying something outside the box. And if previous Xpos are anything to go by, prepare for a few pleasant surprises along the way. “I remember our first year, Comeback Coffee debuted their coffee soda,” says Lynn. “That’s become so popular that they’re building a cannery for it.”
Xpo-goers this year can look forward to four new vendors: Memphis Grindhouse Coffee, Muggin’ Coffeehouse, Southaven’s Coffee Central, and Ounce of Hope. “I’m a big believer in health and wellness,” says Lynn, “and we’ve got that represented here, too.”
While, at the end of the day, many coffee shops are in competition with each other from a business perspective, Lynn says that Memphis’ growing coffee community has always been supportive of new members. “What keeps me doing this is the community and culture around coffee in Memphis,” he says. “Everyone is so welcoming in the industry. Folks like Charles Billings over at Dr. Bean’s have been doing trainings and other things like that for newcomers, helped them open their doors. From what I’ve seen, everyone is willing to bend over backwards to help others, no matter what.”
As for Lynn’s favorite coffee shop? There’s no right answer to that question. “Every place in town has a couple things that they really excel at,” he says. “I go to different shops when I’m in the mood for different things and am never disappointed.”
The Grind City Coffee Xpo allows Lynn and the coffee community to take that supportive ethos and extend it to one of our greatest treasures: the Memphis Sand Aquifer. Lynn doesn’t profit from the event, and vendors are donating their time and product to a good cause, since 100 percent of the proceeds go toward the Protect Our Aquifer organization. After all, high-quality water is intrinsically linked to the Xpo. “You can’t have good coffee without good water,” says Lynn, “and the water we have here elevates it to another level. I think sometimes people take it for granted, but look at what’s happening over somewhere like Jackson. It’s so important to maintain high-quality water levels.”
To help enhance the Xpo coffee even more, Lynn has partnered with Third Wave Water, a company that creates packets which can change the mineral content of water. That allows vendors to customize their water for whatever their preferred brewing method might be, and each participant at the Xpo will be doing so. “You combine that with our already amazing water from the aquifer,” remarks Lynn, “and you’ll see some amazing pours.”
Looking ahead, Lynn believes that Memphis can continue to grow its coffee community. “We’ve got so many great shops, but we can handle more, too. The passion is there on our end 100 percent, but I can see us expanding in a healthy and organic way going forward.”
And there’s plenty of good stuff in store for caffeine connoisseurs and newcomers alike. Read on for a closer look at five participating vendors at this year’s Grind City Coffee Xpo. — Samuel X. Cicci
Boycott Coffee
Boycott Coffee just celebrated its first year in business, but it has been putting cups in hands for far longer. As co-owner Alexander Roach explains, since 2017, “Boycott Coffee was already an established social program working with language communities here. We had a few pop-ups and a few language centers. I was popping up wherever I was invited to present ideas, drink coffee, and create spaces.” As his recent social media post announces: “Boycott Coffee wants to help!”
Now, with the help of Mersadies Burch and Averell Mondie, Roach’s vision has a permanent home. Calling themselves “the three-human ownership team behind Boycott Coffee,” the trio of activists’ shared progressive values have led them to open a storefront cafe combining coffee with community.
Burch and Mondie “started consulting and working with this building during its redevelopment,” explains Roach. “Fast-forward a year, and it was a shared project between the three of us, a kind of a weird coffee/potluck in the back. Then they asked us to move to the front of the building.” That’s where you’ll find the pink interior of Boycott; the place still retains the clubhouse vibe of Boycott’s earlier incarnations.
All that’s missing is a bookshelf. But you may want to reach for your phone for some heavy reading. As their website states, “We call on you to question how coffee is really made and who it belongs to along the value chain. To revolt and protest alongside the producers, traders, mill workers, carriers, roasters, and baristas.” And, we might add, to tip generously. — Alex Greene
Comeback Coffee
Hayes McPherson, who along with his wife Amy, owns Comeback Coffee, is excited about the upcoming Grind City Coffee Xpo. “That was kind of where we got our start,” he says. “We were at the first Xpo three months before our opening day.”
Hayes, Amy, and Ethan McGaughy, who work together on all the flavor combinations, also launched their strawberry-lime coffee soda at that first Xpo in 2019. The native Memphians are bringing a “new coffee soda to promote” at the upcoming Xpo, says Hayes. It’s going to be a surprise. They’re also bringing a “non-coffee-related product,” but it’s a secret. “It highlights that really special water we have in the city.”
The McPhersons opened Comeback Coffee in March 2019. Food & Wine magazine named it one of “The Best Coffee Shops in America” about six months after they opened.
“We just try to do our thing really well. Good coffee. High specialty coffee. We bring in roasters from all over the world and showcase them here in Memphis. We highlight those people and those stories.”
They’re “physically building out” the business. “We’re pretty far along in construction of our building. It’s still on North Main two buildings down from Comeback. We hope to be in there by March.”
Chef Cole Jeanes brings his Kinfolk restaurant pop-up on weekends and sells fried chicken on cathead biscuits and other items. “Our slogan is ‘Stay Awhile.’ I think we’ve nailed that.” — Michael Donahue
Crazy Gander Coffee Company
Crazy Gander welcomes Memphians with their open atmosphere and creative selection of frappes, unique coffee renditions, and delicious pastries.
Enjoy anything from a traditional Americano and hot tea to their cookies-and-cream frappe and a seasonal drip coffee served with a cookie. This quaint storefront is found in the heart of Memphis providing a simple yet aesthetic space filled with immense love and efficiency. With every cup, each staff member and owners Dana Bunke and Kevin Crow strive to connect with the Memphis community.
Abby Sexton, a member of the business development and operations team, states that Crazy Gander’s main mission is to “serve a continuously excellent cup of coffee and be consistent with our product.” Along with consistency and care, Sexton says that Crazy Gander connects with people by treating “every new visitor like a regular.”
As for Bunke and Crow, each are local entrepreneurs working to better the community, raising millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and environmentally safe organizations. And that same love and care go right back into their coffee as a “small neighborhood way of doing things for the community.” But stay tuned: Sexton says to “look for new and exciting things coming your way from Crazy Gander.” — Izzy Wollfarth
Memphis Grindhouse Coffee
Ten banks turned down Dwayne Chaffen and Rick Askew’s loan application to jump-start their new coffee shop. “One particular bank asked us if we had a white business partner,” says Chaffen. “It was 2019. We really thought they were joking.”
They weren’t joking, the two friends soon realized, so instead, they invested their own money into the online shop that has become Memphis Grindhouse Coffee. Being online, though, has had one major benefit: reaching a global audience. So far, they have customers in 22 states, plus Canada and Australia.
The coffee is made-to-order in Memphis. “That is the freshest you’re going to get,” Askew says. “Sometimes the bag is still warm when you get it. And we only buy the highest-quality beans you can find. The light roast comes from Peru, the medium roast comes from Ethiopia, and the dark roast comes from Guatemala.”
Plus, with every product sold, the company donates money to ongoing literacy efforts and buys books to give away to kids. They’ll even ship books free of charge to kids in need.
“We’re two inner-city Memphis kids,” Chaffen says. “We love our city, and we understand the unique challenges that many people in our city face, especially the children. We wanted to find a way to give back.”
Still, the two hope to open a brick-and-mortar location to provide a physical space where young students can sharpen their literacy skills. For now, it’s a matter of finding the right place at the right time. — Abigail Morici
Muggin’ Coffeehouse
Ken and Mary Olds believe that coffee should be accessible to everyone, not just connoisseurs. And when it comes to their coffee, they don’t concern themselves with fancy names. After all, what’s more accessible than a coffee named Zippin Pippin or Flickin’ on Beale?
According to Mary, if you walk into Muggin’ Coffeehouse, located at 1139 Brownlee Road in Whitehaven, asking for “that caramel thing,” they know exactly what you’re talking about. Mary says that coffee connects people, and that there should not be barriers like pronunciation standing in the way of enjoying a fresh cup.
The Olds wanted to take away the “pretentious stigma” surrounding coffee and opened Muggin’ in June of 2020. They also wanted to make sure that coffee is approachable to the people in their community. In fact, according to Mary, 90 percent of Muggin’s employees had no prior background in the coffee industry. The Olds sought to teach their community more about coffee, while also giving back.
The uniqueness of Muggin’ can be pinpointed to a number of things, such as the way Memphis culture is intertwined within the shop and its products (Hard Out Here For A Drip, Looking for the Brewin’). However, Mary believes that being a Black-owned business and demanding a standard of excellence from their staff has played a major role in the success and brand of Muggin’. “We want to make sure we represent in a great way,” she says. — Kailynn Johnson
Grind City Coffee Xpo takes place Saturday, November 5th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Wiseacre HQ, 234 E. Butler Ave. For tickets, visit grindcitycoffee.com. All proceeds go toward Protect Our Aquifer.