Cafe + Velo Is Swapping Octane for Radio Roasters Coffee

Cycling-centric Sweet Auburn coffee shop Cafe + Velo is making a change to its beverage service. Beginning April 24, its drinks will be made with beans from Scottdale-based Radio Roasters. Cafe + Velo has been using Octane beans since opening in September 2016.

Radio Roasters is the creation of Chip Grabow, a radio producer who started roasting his own beans as a hobby. Grabow sources from independent farmers and roasts his beans at a facility on East Ponce de Leon Avenue. After launching as a wholesale-only business, last October Grabow added a “barista capsule” at the roastery to serve batch-brew, pour-over, and espresso beverages on Saturday mornings. The company’s wholesale clients also include Decatur’s Ebrik Coffee Room and Victory Sandwich Bar in Decatur and Inman Park.

“When we met Chip and tried Radio’s coffee, we instantly knew that there was far too much synchronicity with our goals, perspectives on specialty coffee, obsessions with quality, and our stories to not immediately get involved with one another,” Cafe + Velo co-founder Jeff Demetriou said in a prepared statement.

Birmingham, Alabama-based Revelator Coffee Company recently revealed its plans to acquire Octane, which was founded in Westside in 2003. Demetriou tells Eater Atlanta the deal wasn’t the catalyst for Cafe + Velo’s switch.

“Let’s just say the changeover presented us with an opportunity to try out some other providers,” he said in an email. “We had been exploring other offerings prior.”

To introduce customers to Radio Roasters, Cafe + Velo will offer a free coffee with additional purchase the week of April 24.

• Step Inside Cafe + Velo, the Sweet Auburn Cafe for Coffee and Bike Enthusiasts [EATL]
• Chip Grabow of Radio Roasters Wants His Hobby to Change Atlanta's Coffee Scene [EATL]
• Radio Roasters Will Serve Coffee From a ‘Barista Capsule’ on Saturday Mornings [EATL]
• Octane Is Being Sold to Birmingham-Based Revelator Coffee Company [EATL]