Jasmine BlueA fictional character inspired the name behind a very real, community-minded coffee roasting small business: Mad Priest Coffee Roasters (@MadPriestCoffee on IG and Facebook). It’s located in Chattanooga, TN at 1900 Broadstreet and 3399 Wilcox Blvd.
Not in Chattanooga? You can still enjoy Mad Priest by ordering their coffee beans online or subscribing to their coffee bean service!
About Mad Priest and its leadership team
It was founded as a social enterprise in 2015 by Michael and Cherita Rice. In addition to Michael and Cherita, it’s owned by Tarig Idris, Mad Priest’s first employee & a former refugee from Sudan, and Vinnie Malveaux, also known as the rapper “Big Vinnie the Shark,” check him out on YouTube. The Mad Priest team and shop hold to a three-part mission, according to their website: “Craft excellent coffee, educate the curious. Champion the displaced.”
Photo courtesy of Mad Priest.
☕ “Craft excellent coffee” – Mad Priest holds numerous certifications through the “Speciality Coffee Association” (SCA) and is also award winning. They’re constantly seeking to grow as coffee experts and source coffee beans from “the most responsible farmers around the world” (About Us – Mad Priest).
☕ “Educate the curious” – Pre-pandemic, Mad Priest hosted “Coffee Catechism” classes, which were a way for the community to learn more about the “art and science of coffee” (About Us – Mad Priest).
☕ “Champion the displaced” – Mad Priest partners with Bridge Refugee Services to work with and hire resettled refugees in Chattanooga. Their trainings have included “English, customer service, and other hard & soft skills.” In addition to caring for the displaced who’ve come to Chattanooga, the Mad Priest team is committed to anti-gentrification/displacement efforts within the Chattanooga community itself (About Us – Mad Priest).
As a small business, Mad Priest prides itself in using ethically sourced coffee beans from organizations like Caravela Coffee, a “speciality green coffee” B-Corp.
These photos feature Mad Priest’s standard latte, and some Mad Priest drinks from pre-covid! Currently, they’re only serving coffee in to-go cups and their downtown cafe and bar is closed, but customers can still enjoy delicious coffees and beans from Mad Priest through to-go, drive thru, and curbside orders.
During #BlackHistoryMonth, Mad Priest gave customers coffee cups with the name of one person who’s made a difference in Black History.
Favorite Coffees
Tarig and Michael from the Mad Priest team love Yemenia (a really rare, newly discovered coffee from Yemen) and Cherita loves their current coffee from Ethiopia.
When I asked Cherita about customer favorites she said, “Our best sellers by far are two of our coffee blends, Dark night of the soul (our dark roast blend) and Sloth dispelling (our breakfast blend). And a customer’s favorite drink right now is our “brown sugar cinnamon latte.”
For the infrequent Coffee drinkers and tea drinkers too
If you’re an occasional coffee drinker or tea drinker, Mad Priest is still for you! Even though they’re known for “speciality coffee,” they want coffee to be approachable and are committed to making coffee drinking experiences educational too. Their Broad Street location has teas, Jarritos, fresh juices, and San Pellegrino.
Pre-Covid, their “coffee catechism” classes happened in person, but now they’ve transitioned to the Mad Priest YouTube where you can see Michael and Vinnie discuss coffee brewing and culture.
Just Eat at Mad Priest
There are a lot of reasons to love Mad Priest. Once again, you’re not in Chattanooga, you can still #JustEat from Mad Priest by ordering online or subscribing to get their coffee beans delivered to you.
Special thanks to Cherita and Mad Priest for the photos and interview!