To Kirk and Heather, supporting their community means everything. Starting from humble beginnings in the French Quarter, Orleans Coffee has grown to win a Lantern Award in 2017 for their services to the community and for exemplifying what it means to be an entrepreneur. Every year, Orleans Coffee participates in Hogs for the Cause, a BBQ festival that donates money to supporting research into children’s cancer. And provide coffee for youth homeless advocacy group The Covenant House, giving out coffee to sleepout participants throughout the cold nights in the French Quarter. They carry the history and honor of New Orleans through their actions and bag design. The iconic Bevolo lantern makes a bold mark on their bag, paying homage to their beginnings, and the coffee cherries that share the same space are given their place to shine. Through sharing history and taking care of the community around them, Orleans Coffee provides a warm cup to call home.

Michael Matthews – he’s got every timeline packed into one. Once a biology major on track to medical school, turned professional band drummer, and now a professional coffee roaster who came home 3rd in the US Coffee Roasting Championship while operating 3 restaurant businesses. A passion for experimentation and data collection is where Matthews’ STEM skills overlap in the restaurant industry and push him to succeed. Since the beginning, it’s all been about looking at the unconventional solutions – asking bartenders for their advice on flavor notes, pushing away the computer to roast a batch or two, and switching out single origin coffees every week to find the right ones for the customers. It’s important to Michael to keep learning, but being flexible enough to navigate the unpredictable daily life in the kitchen. That drive to provide the best results carries over to Bearcat and Alinea Coffee. With a mission to tell a story with the best quality food, coffee, and cocktails, Matthews and the team go the extra mile to feature the high quality, seasonal beauty of local ingredients from New Orleans. Every recipe is crafted in-house. The soft-shell crabs that roll around every Fall? Provided by a local Vietnamese fishing family. Alinea Coffee and Bearcat innovate in the restaurant and coffee industry through creativity, authenticity, and genuine care for their customers and their community. They’re not afraid to wear many hats and excel in every role they step into. If you’re ever in New Orleans, “You gotta see this menu, guys, I’m telling ya!” - Paul Read