Revelator Coffee
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Coffee roasting and retail |
| Founded | October 9, 2013 |
| Founder | Josh Owen, Emma Chevalier, Elizabeth Pogue |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama , United States |
Area served | Southern United States, Massachusetts |
Key people | Josh Owen (president), Emma Chevalier (creative director), Elizabeth Pogue (director of operations), Tony Riffel (retail director) |
| Products | Coffee and coffeehouse services |
Revelator Coffee Company LLC is a U.S.-based coffee roasting enterprise headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Established in October 2013 by Josh Owen, Emma Chevalier, and Elizabeth Pogue, the company was originally located in New Orleans, Louisiana before shifting its base to Birmingham in February 2015. The first Revelator coffeehouse debuted in Birmingham in October 2014, eventually growing to 20 sites throughout the southern United States along with two stores in Massachusetts. In 2017, Revelator expanded by acquiring Boston’s Wired Puppy and Atlanta’s Octane Coffee, operating outlets under these names. However, since 2020, the majority of these venues have shut down, leaving only two active locations.
Establishment and Growth
Revelator Coffee was officially registered in Delaware on October 9, 2013. The founding team consisted of Josh Owen as president, Emma Chevalier as creative director, and Elizabeth Pogue as director of operations. The company revealed its launch plans in March 2014, with initial operations including a roastery and headquarters situated in New Orleans. Early strategies involved opening four pilot stores across New Orleans, Birmingham, and Chattanooga.
By February 2015, the headquarters and roasting facility were relocated to a 10,000-square-foot warehouse in Birmingham to better position the business near critical southeastern U.S. markets.
In January 2017, Revelator acquired Wired Puppy, a Boston-based coffee chain experiencing difficulties. Two months later, it took over Octane Coffee from Atlanta. Tony Riffel, co-founder of Octane, joined Revelator’s advisory board and subsequently assumed the role of retail director. The Octane brand continued to operate alongside Revelator products at all venues. Plans were made to rebrand Wired Puppy and Octane locations by mid-2018.
Despite aggressive growth through acquisitions and new store openings, most of the outlets closed between 2018 and 2021. By 2022, only two coffeehouses remained open—in Birmingham and New Orleans.
Store Locations
Revelator Coffee managed a total of 18 coffee shops plus two restaurants throughout the southern United States, along with two additional coffee shops located in Massachusetts. The company’s inaugural store launched on October 22, 2014, at Whitmire Lofts in Birmingham, Alabama, serving as one of four initial pilot projects. Expansion reached cities such as Birmingham, Nashville, Tennessee, Charleston, South Carolina, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, Georgia. Several new locations replaced pre-existing coffee establishments.