Hot Coffee is the newest coffee brand bringing a new flavor with cryptocurrency. Atlanta’s very own community pillar, Katerina Taylor joined forces with serial entrepreneur and former corporate executive Brad Hill to develop the first “Coffee and Crypto” brand of its kind.

Headquartered in Grove Park, the double minority-owned retailer is dedicated to enhancing the daily coffee experience with their premium gourmet roasts. With a wide range of flavor options catering to every coffee lover, Hot Coffee is establishing itself as Atlanta’s home team choice for coffee.

Business is not new to the Hot Coffee duo as they both have many years in prestigious leadership roles. Over the last 20 years, Katerina gained experience in executive leadership and has a proven track record in the workforce and economic development sector. She previously served as VP with SunTrust Bank, now Truist; and is the former president of the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce, in which she was the first female to hold that position. Complementary to Katerina’s leadership, Brad brings experience as both a compliance director and director of operations where he oversaw the Information Security Program for Federal contracts. With their commonality in leadership, travel, and coffee, they created their steaming imprint, Hot Coffee.

Hot Coffee specializes in premium gourmet coffee from select growing regions of Africa and Central and South America. The simple yet innovative moniker, Hot Coffee, is a testament to the company’s mission of “gourmet simplified,” and is the way many describe the fuel that kick starts their day. Their seven times micro-roasted whole beans allow Hot Coffee to preserve the integrity and quality of every bean, creating the perfect brew, every time. The current line includes whole and ground beans in Decaf, Light, Medium, and Dark roasts.

Katerina and Brad’s business idea was fitting for the times—because as the global health crisis cases rose, so did the consumption of coffee. Katerina states, “I read that 166 million bags of coffee were sold during 2020 and 2021.” While coffee was definitely being roasted, sold, and consumed, emerging at the height of a global pandemic did pose challenges. The pair were unable to physically connect with coffee suppliers; however, the determined business partners were able to virtually conduct thorough research on coffee consumption habits, the morning beverage market, cryptocurrency phenomenon, and identifying suitable roasters.

With the future of purchasing power shifting, Hot Coffee decided to position itself ahead of the curve by incorporating a cryptocurrency component into its purchasing experience. By allowing customers to purchase Hot Coffee through the Coinbase e-commerce platform, they are taking the customer’s first approach and eliminating the proverbial middleman merchant. This initiative also makes Hot Coffee the first African American coffee brand to use cryptocurrency as its primary method of payment. While they are not experts, they understand being curious and staying updated on current trends will allow them to stay atop current financial trends and provide the best customer experience.

The Hot Coffee executives keep the pulse on consumer preferences as Brad states, “having others enjoy our product is rewarding because “their validation of the product quality aligns with our commitment to using the highest quality ingredients.”

Being a business with two owners, their different leadership styles create the perfect blend for their day-to-day operations.

With an official launch set for February 2022 in honor of Black History Month, coffee lovers can expect to get their hands on the anticipated brews. The Atlanta-based retailer is proud of its roots and wants to be synonymous with the city. They also hope to partner with some of Atlanta’s most respected brands including American Express, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta Airport, cool local artists as well as retailers like Target, Savvy Provisions, Whole Foods, Microsoft, and more! With so many exciting things brewing, patrons have a lot to look forward to with Hot Coffee.

To keep up with Hot Coffee, follow @lovehotcoffee on social media. To connect with Hot Coffee for vendor opportunities and to learn more by visiting their website at www.lovehotcoffee.com and emailing them at [email protected]