ABOUT US
o kafes! coffee was started by Kirk Summers and Erin Isbell as a specialty-grade, wholesale roasting business in the Tuscaloosa area. All roasting was done in small batches in a 5-kilo Ambex roaster and sold to businesses in the greater Birmingham market. After obtaining TransFairUSA certification the next year, Kirk and Erin began dealing in 100% Fair Trade coffees. The certification behind these coffees, which are the best quality on the market, ensure that the farmers and their families receive fair wages and benefits for their efforts. TransFairUSA has also been proactive in protecting the environment through its programs that teach farmers alternative and natural ways to grow their crops.

After three successful years of selling coffee at the Pepper Place Farmer’s Market in Birmingham, o kafes! moved into the nearby Martin Biscuit Bldg. as a retail and roasting business together in the old Amani Raha Martini Bar location. Kirk and Erin opened their 2300 sq. ft. coffeehouse/roasterie on August 24, 2008 with a concert by Sally Barris from Nashville. Nowadays they sell their signature lattes, roast coffee on site, and host numerous concerts by local and regional musicians. Local artist Amy Peterson displays her vivid oil paintings on the walls. They also sell t-shirts, coffee by the pound, and
light lunch items, including Greek spanakopita and tyropita.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BONNIE FOUNTAIN.

About the name and the logo: “o kafes,” pronounced like “confess” without the “n,” simply means “coffee” in modern Greek. Kirk and Erin chose it because to them it represents a simple, hand-crafted quality that is still found in traditional European coffeehouses today. The logo, a sleeping cat curled around a coffee cup, suggests the paradoxical nature of the coffee experience – at once relaxing (the sleeping cat) and invigorating (the potential liveliness of the cat). And who could ever forget such a cute logo?

About the owners: Kirk holds a Ph.D. in Classical Philology from the University of Illinois, while Erin obtained her MA in Latin Philology from Bryn Mawr College. They both learned the coffee trade from Ambex Roasters in Clearwater, FL and Counter Culture Coffee in Atlanta and from countless hours of study and practice. They receive inspiration and emotional support from Erin’s Papillion “Peanut” and Kirk’s Bengal Cat “Reeses.”