Setting Our Intentions, Who the Hell Are We? (pt.1)

Hey, it's Austin, my coffee conscious peeps. We want to let you in on who we are and why we are doing what we are doing. We think that before you get behind us, it is only fair you know precisely who we are and what we believe you never have to question who we are or what we believe.

My name is Austin Blevins; I come from a tiny rural town in Kentucky where things in that town have been "consistent" for as long as I have been there with little to no change. There I grew up on a tiny farm where we raised beef cattle, and I had some super dope parents who worked their butts off to make sure my siblings and I were all provided for.

It's ironic where I began on a farm meant to kill animals to the transition where I am trying to save animals daily. I have been entirely plant-based for two years. There was not a point before when I slowly transitioned, I dove headfirst into veganism with my friend Joel and his fiance' Grace, never to look back or have any plan to for the rest of my life. Halle (my fiance' and bestie) went plant-based about six months after we did.

I say that I am a vegan and grew up on a farm to let you peeps know that my approach to veganism is compassion towards those who are on the outside of the plant-based lifestyle. There tends to be some toxic negativity in the vegan community and while everyone deals with their compassion differently, our approach to life is to approach each situation with understanding.

We've all met "that guy" the one who is overtly and grotesquely opinionated on each and every topic, no matter what you say to them it always seems that they have a differing opinion. Yet, their judgment always has to be the right one, or no one can be happy. We've all met him/her/them, but regardless we cannot control them or their actions. My argument is you can only control your reaction to a stimulus.

Instead of approaching a conversation with "that guy" and your response is the first emotion and few choice words that come to mind, you get nowhere, you do not grow, and worst of all you are on their level now. Rather to approach the situation, knowing that regardless of what they say, you are going to respond with love.

Along with veganism, I grew up drinking coffee. I began drinking coffee when I was four with my Grandma. She used to babysit me while my parents were at work every Monday-Friday. I will always remember waking up to the smell of fresh coffee brewed downstairs. Now my Grandma was not a third wave barista boi whipping up a complex coffee in a Kalita Wave; she was old fashion and used whatever she had at the time, mostly just an automatic dripper. She would wait until I woke up and would pour me a cup, and we would sit at a table and talk, and that's how we would start our days together. Those cups of coffee that I had with my Grandma are moments I will cherish forever.

I looked around my hometown as I was growing up with this fear that I would live for nothing, some of the people I came into contact with wanted nothing from life and ended up getting just that, nothing. The fear of not living for a catalyst of change scared the hell out of me. I grew up with crippling anxiety in fear of death. That before I ever got to live, I would die. Though hard times bring forth growth and realization, that it took this fear to create even this idea for a company.

Real talk, I want to roast coffee, I want to bring a coffee company into the world that is approachable so that people get to drink really great coffee before they die. I do not think though that it should come at a cost to kill animals or harm the environment in the process.

Grim coffee is a blog, but our dreams and intentions are to create an online specialty coffee roasting company that's going to bring awareness to transparency in the coffee community, veganism, and the environment. So what does that look like?

In our eyes, its sharing knowledge and opinions in an approachable and nonjudgmental environment, using only plant-based products for all present and future endeavors, and lastly making our product packaging coming in and going out no less than 80% compost and recyclable.

Other than that, who the hell are we? We're not sure but stick around, and hopefully, we can figure it out together.