Hypebeast Community Center is a new series spotlighting emerging, indie and underground brands in street culture — giving them a platform to share their story and explain who they are/what they do.
Give us your elevator pitch.
Quiet Mountain Cafe is a journal-based project around coffee and ways to enjoy it indoors and outdoors.
The Five Ws
Who is Quiet Mountain Cafe for?
Everyone.
What is Quiet Mountain Cafe’s main message?
Take time out of your day to enjoy something.
When was Quiet Mountain Cafe launched?
The initial journal idea was first launched in August 2020, but I didn't start making product until January 2021.
Why was Quiet Mountain Cafe created?
It was initially created as a way to document the different coffee I was trying and any types of different techniques I was using to make it. I initially used the iPhone notes app to record everything but figured it might be interesting to make the process and results public.
Where are people wearing (and using) Quiet Mountain Cafe gear?
Outdoors!
About the Brand
Where did the inspiration for the brand come from, and how was the name chosen?
I suppose the foundation of everything for the idea was always there, I just didn’t realize it until I started putting the pieces together. I've always been obsessed with collecting mugs as well as old magazines and catalogs. As I got further into coffee, a friend of mine told me to take notes to understand which processes, origins, varietals and techniques I liked for the future.
As the note-taking process became a full part of my routine, I realized I should just make it public and that I could utilize the mugs and magazines I'd collected to be featured alongside those notes. I’ve always felt connected to the outdoors, so making the logo/brand direction outdoor-adjacent was natural. My partner actually came up with the name — I was looking for something that was equally relaxing and outdoors related. I had a few bad ones in the beginning!
Quiet Mountain Cafe seems to be a physical manifestation of a specific lifestyle — the brand offers gear, of course, but that gear is accompanied by coffee, music and more. What is the Quiet Mountain lifestyle and how is it translated in the products?
Coffee and the outdoors are the focal points, and everything becomes adjacent to that idea. I try to add things that fit naturally with either or both.
Many Quiet Mountain Cafe Instagram posts are a carefully-curated combination of a vintage mug and coaster, vintage print media and a specific blend of coffee. What’s the process of nailing that combination like?
The main message I try to get across is this idea of making time in your day to enjoy something. For me it's the routine of trying a new coffee, and sitting down to read or look through a magazine.
At risk of getting a bit “woo-woo,” what parallels, if any, do you see between brewing the perfect cup of coffee and building a brand?
That both take time — and that there’s probably more than one way to do either.
“A small” precedes much of the brand’s messaging. The tagline is “A small coffee cafe/journal.” When the brand visited Japan for pop-ups, it was “A small Japan tour.” Why is it essential for the brand to keep things small and close-knit?
The “small” is sort of a double entendre, first in that the "small coffee cafe" is just me making coffee, and the Japan pop-up tour was just one day in each location. Secondly, it ties back to keeping things personal and quiet.
Tell us about the education and community element of the brand. Many Quiet Mountain Cafe Instagram posts have deeply detailed breakdowns of coffee blends and brewing procedures. Why is it important to share those experiences and knowledge?
A majority of the posts are detailed because they're my personal notes, hence the "journal" part of the brand. They're personal entries that I hope people can take away something from for their own coffee notes.
Quiet Mountain Cafe has quite an in-person presence for a small brand thanks to pop-ups everywhere, from New York City’s Blue in Green to shops in Japan. Can you speak to the importance of in-person experiences to the brand?
It’s always important to have something physical so people can see the product for themselves in person and experience what the brand means beyond screen. And I love making people a cup of coffee. Brewing a cup of something special for someone and seeing their reaction is always great.
Collaborations are another part of the brand — for example, Quiet Mountain Cafe has worked extensively with Creek Anglers Device. How do those collaborations help expand the brand’s lexicon?
Like with any collaboration, it has to make sense. But they're mainly ways to work with friends and I think that's the best part about them.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since launching the brand?
You don’t have to have everything figured out from the jump.
What does the future hold for Quiet Mountain Cafe?
A (small) cafe someday.
Why should people care about Quiet Mountain Cafe?
Not sure if they should care about it specifically, but I think the ethos of taking a step back and enjoying a quiet moment should be appreciated by everyone.
What does Quiet Mountain Cafe see as the ultimate cup of coffee?
Any place that has a good pour over, honestly.
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