We recently connected with Kelsey Olson and have shared our conversation below.

Kelsey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Not many know, but we originally had a different name in mind. We went as far as creating a LLC, working with a graphic designer to create a logo, and I had come up with an aesthetic for the shop. After learning of another entity popping up about 45 minutes away with a similar name, we had to pivot. As much as we loved everything we had come up with to that point, we needed to have a name different than the rest!

A top goal and vision for our coffee shop was to serve high quality coffee, respect coffee for what it was and ensure we keep all the important nuances throughout the coffee process top notch.

We want to respect coffee.

That word, that theme, kept returning to my mind as we were working to brainstorm a new name. After a while, I simply looked up synonyms for respect. I came across the word “Reverence” and love how bold and strong it seemed.

From there, my husband (and co-owner) agreed that was the name for our upcoming coffee shop: “Reverence Coffee”. This new, strong name led me down a whole different brand feel and design than the vibe we had previously been set on.

Though, I did love the previous brand we had created, I am so happy with where we landed!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Prior to Reverence Coffee, my husband and I were just fans of coffee. My husband, Chris, was/is more of a coffee purist and coffee nerd. We enjoyed going to local coffee shops with our family, seeking out third wave coffee when traveling, and using other shops as our remote workspaces. Chris dove deep into his coffee passion, learning all the fine details and growing our at-home setup. Eventually, he had the desire to open up his own place, feeling the void in our local East Peoria community. As a supportive wife, I acknowledged the idea, but didn’t expect it to grow. Next thing I know, we’ve got an LLC, us as co-owners, and a dream trying to turn into reality!!

We are a third wave coffee shop, putting out the highest quality coffees out there! We are a multi-roaster cafe, so we specifically curate the roasters we choose to work with.

The coffee we put out is amazing and we’re blowing people’s minds with some of our “funky “ offerings. We’ve created pastries that are becoming signatures for us. All our offerings are with the highest quality, clean ingredients. We’ve created a beautiful interior, with a cozy elegance. There’s many details implemented to make our shop family friendly, as well.

I’m most proud of the fact that we’ve followed through on this and have opened the doors to a beautiful coffee shop. We’re about to hit our 1-year anniversary (5/15)!

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

We started this business on our own, getting loans and maxing out credit cards. As a new business, there’s no “nest egg“ for the tough times… We had been doing enough business for the first handful of months to barely make all the necessary bills and payroll. But, as things continued, bills were higher, other deferred payments were hitting, credit cards fully maxed, and our account didn’t look anywhere close to making the next payroll!!

Feeling all the pressure, stress and potential devastation for this, I took to social media and created a raw video. I let people know where things were at, how stuck we felt, and a plea for help.

Our community rose up and surrounded us with so much love and support!! The post went viral and it was astonishing! I went from crying out of stress, fear, and failure to crying about the love, support and generosity.

We survived the winter because of this, no doubt. We had all the confidence that our brand had long-term capabilities. But, as a small business, all the little bumps and valleys along the way are a lot to overcome. Without all that new awareness created for the shop and the community’s generosity, we wouldn’t have survived the short term!

We aren’t out of the woods yet, but, we are in a much better spot than a few months ago, thankfully.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

We are a real family and couple that created this small business, Reverence Coffee. Throughout the process, the realness, genuine experiences and emotions have been seen. I feel that since people can see that we are real and we’re there in the shop, working, or having our family there, they can relate. They know they’re supporting a small business and their community. But, they are also receiving genuine/good customer service and a great customer experience; that is truly important to us.

On top of that, our product consistently speaks to the quality we are dedicated to delivering in the coffee world!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ReverencecoffeeIL.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reverence.coffee?igsh=MTg4ODV3ZHZpMnhzbg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DuqB8mar4/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: Google Business Profile (we appreciate reviews!):

Image Credits

Morgan Vicary Photography
Luke Tassoni Photography
Chris Khoury Photography