Asheville resident purchases NC coffee subscription business Coffee Crate

From Coffee Crate

Press release

Coffee Crate, a service that delivers a range of locally-roasted coffee beans to subscribers each month, is now in Asheville. Founded in Durham in 2014, the business was recently purchased by Asheville resident Angie Rainey.

Coffee Crate provide brewing tips, tasting notes, and every now and then a surprise, but its number one goal is simply delivering locally roasted coffee that tastes great.

Why local roasts? “Purchasing from North Carolinian roasters means super fresh coffee for the customers, and allows me a hands-on buying experience,” says Angie. “I can visit the roaster and learn about what makes them unique. You can get a sense of all of the care and detail that goes into each individual bean. For instance, the roaster gets a green bean from Ethiopia – then that roaster is familiar with the bean, their machine, how long the bean should be roasting – all the details resulting in the perfect cup of coffee.”

Angie has always been passionate about local foods. One of her first jobs was at an independent natural foods store in her small hometown in southern Illinois – she then went on to work for an organic vegetable farmer and large farmers market in Urbana, Illinois. Angie says: “It’s a richer experience to know where your food is coming from – and the same is true for coffee. Relationships formed in consuming local and regional products creates – and supports – our community.”

Angie is particularly passionate about local coffee. “I was a barista for a few years and loved that job – working with coffee is sensual and delightful. It’s such an important ritual to many people’s day. Ever since, I’ve had the dream of opening a coffee shop. Now a mother to two children under 5, it didn’t seem manageable to run a storefront. I am also greatly awake of the already well-established and abundant coffee shop scene here in Asheville. Then I came across Coffee Crate. It was a balancing of fantasy and reality for my stage in life and living in Asheville; getting the right ratio between being a business owner and being a mom.”

Coffee Crate has included several roasts from Asheville in its crates. Last December included Mountain Air’s ECX Grade 1 DP, then in March the Brazilian roast from Biltmore Coffee Traders, and last month the organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe from PennyCup Coffee Co in the River Arts District.

“Working with Coffee Crate was great for us,” says Bill Tanner, Master Roaster at PennyCup Coffee Co. in the River Arts District in Asheville. “As a small roaster we were excited about getting our coffee in the cups of coffee drinkers outside our immediate area. Angie was hands-on throughout the process and we had a blast choosing the right roast.”

Angie adds: “Our NC roasters’ expertise is in roasting amazing coffee; I want my expertise to be in getting that coffee into people’s mugs.”

About Coffee Crate: We deliver great coffee.
Coffee Crate stems from the idea that the best roasts are local because they’re super fresh, it’s easier to be knowledgeable about local roasters. We offer a genuine North Carolina experience by delivering quality coffee to your door each month. We carefully choose a selection of our favorite local beans from roasters who take great pride in their product.

Coffee Crate is perfect to enjoy and share. Expect consistently amazing coffee, personalized service, and occasional surprises. Starting at $23 a month, subscribers can sign up for a year at a discount or choose a month-to-month plan.

Our Philosophy
At Coffee Crate we love a great cup of coffee! We believe that North Carolina has some of the best coffee in the U.S. and our hope is to highlight the hidden gem, small-scale roasters scattered throughout the State. Since starting our business we’ve formed relationships with 20 North Carolina roasters who are seriously excited to be a part of our box. We’re here to cultivate relationships between passionate roasters with passionate drinkers.

More info at www.coffeecrate.co.