We recently connected with Gabe And Alyssa Beck and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Gabe and Alyssa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

We (Gabe and Alyssa Beck) moved to Memphis in 2021 and started our “Coffee Shop Hoppers” Instagram page that same spring, thinking it would be a fun, creative outlet that we could do together. We were already visiting the best coffee shops anywhere we traveled (and at home), so we thought, “Why not share this?” At the time, we didn’t know just how much it would connect us to our community here in Memphis!

The more we developed our online presence, the more we connected with local coffee shops; and it soon became our way of showing some love to this city we’d become quite attached to. This started us on a path of finding ways to contribute positively to the coffee community, which is where the idea of a “Memphis Summer Coffee Shop Hop” came from.

This summer initiative started as a crazy idea I wasn’t even sure I could implement, but thanks to the support of our wonderful coffee community and Memphians who love coffee as much as we do, it took off and is now an annual event! Every summer, at various coffee shops across the city, you can pick up a stamp card that has 15+ coffee shops represented on it, “hop” to at least 10 of those, then redeem a free coffee at one of the shops you visited. At this point, I think everyone has realized that it’s not about the free coffee at all–it’s all about supporting local coffee shops and connecting with people. This has easily become the most purposeful project to come out of the “Coffee Shop Hoppers” idea. If it gets everyone supporting each other and drinking local coffee: Mission accomplished!

Gabe and Alyssa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I (Alyssa) have been in the marketing industry for several years now in various capacities, but creating our Coffee Shop Hoppers platform and the Memphis Summer Coffee Shop Hop has been a way for me to take some of the skills I already have and apply them to something I’m passionate about and that boosts our community, even if only in a small way. Gabriel is an O.D. Candidate at Southern College of Optometry, and now he can talk about coffee, too, not just eyeballs. Haha!

As the Coffee Shop Hoppers, we visit and review coffee shops, share fun coffee resources and ideas, and organize and participate in coffee-related events here in Memphis. We’ve had the opportunity to work closely with the Grind City Coffee Xpo, meet so many shop owners and coffee enthusiasts, and be featured in several Memphis publications, which is more than we imagined, and we’re so grateful! What a fun adventure it has been.

We’re always open to collaboration and new ideas!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Memphis gets a lot of hate and those of us who live here know that it can be a little rough around the edges, but the way I see it, it just needs more people who are willing to pour out some love. When we moved here, someone told us that, “If you love Memphis, Memphis will love you back,” and that has truly become our driving idea. How can we love Memphis, and it’s people, well?

We didn’t really know what that would look like, but as we drifted into the coffee world, it became very clear that this was a way we could pour out. It has been such a privilege to be alongside some of the most kindhearted people who believe in what Memphis can be!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I don’t know how I would label myself in regards to our Coffee Shop Hoppers gig–creative, artist, content creator, other–but I believe the thing that drives most of us in unconventional or entrepreneurial roles is the desire to connect to others on a deeper level or maintain the freedom to focus on things we’re passionate about. In my experience, this can be hard for others to understand, however pretty it may sound in theory. Society can mold us to be very security driven, leaving those of us who are more relational-driven grasping for balance between the need to pay the bills and a deeper need to find purpose through the idea of interrelation. This can be true whether you’re painting masterpieces or encouraging people to drink local coffee on your Instagram page! I’ve found that I can find the balance when I find my people–the ones who support my vision and truly believe that I can accomplish it. :)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffeeshophoppers/

Image Credits

NRJ Visuals