Today we’d like to introduce you to Mir Marshall.
Hi Mir, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I represent Verb. Coffee Roasters we are a black-owned queer-owned coffee roasting company based out of Castleberry Hill neighborhood in Atlanta, GA. Coming on to the scene practically at the beginning of the pandemic, it hasn’t been easy and the journey has not been smooth but it’s definitely been an adventure!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting during the pandemic has proved to have its own level of challenges. There are no days where we are not putting out fires. Supply chain issues, predicting demand–it’s been incredible trying to find a rhythm. However, if we can make it through this, what can’t we get through?
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our intention is to roast great coffee. We source our beans from around the world and create profiles that highlight the unique qualities of each coffee. When it comes to the craft of roasting, we believe roasting is a conversation. Every bean has its own voice and its own language. It’s important for us as roasters to listen and interpret what the coffee is trying to say. This may translate to manipulating small changes or constantly holding cuppings during the profiling process in the pursuit of finding a coffees voice, but it’s necessary. The roasting process is just one step of a coffee beans journey from Origin to cup. At each step, there are different sets of hands that the beans will pass through. We’re kind of in the middle of all those stages; the coffee has made its way from Origin and from the shipping port but isn’t in a form that’s ready for the customer at the end of the chain to enjoy. It’s our responsibility as roasters to take that coffee and make it speak. Make it sing. In specialty coffee where we (in the scope of things) deal with smaller farms, most of the coffee that is sourced/purchased is handpicked. That’s important. If nothing else, it connects a human to each seed and if nothing else it’s our responsibility to not fumble the beans when they get to our stage in the process because of that.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
“Be able to adapt. Have a general direction and just flow with the current towards that direction. Bump back and forth against the banks as you flow along but don’t be too married to any one idea or plan. Know that everything is in a constant state of flux. You are also in a constant state of flux and what was today isn’t always what will be tomorrow.”—This is what running a business during the pandemic has taught me. Be ready for any type of outcome. I mean, flexibility is a great quality to have in any reality of business but the pandemic definitely drove it home. Aside from that, honestly as a human who has experienced this event alongside everyone else, being able to check in with oneself has never been so important. For two+ years, the world moved differently in so many ways. We all have to heal from it and process it. Do the best that you can do without overworking yourself or sacrificing your health–mental, physical or emotional. Learn how to hold space for yourself and your team.
Contact Info:
- Email: CoffeePlugATL@gmail.com
- Website: coffeeplugatl.com
- Instagram: verbcoffeeroasters
Image Credits
The Kodak K
