It’s Founder Friday! Today we get the honor of hearing the story of Gilly Brew Bar in Stone Mountain, GA from Daniel Brown and Nephthaly Leonidas.
Started by Daniel Brown who was quickly joined by Nephthaly Leonidas, Gilly Brew Bar was founded with the mission to help people re-imagine coffee culture. This mission serves their main purpose, which is to disrupt norms and build better communities. Gillycame to be as an effort to not only make waves in the coffee industry being black owned, but to change the narrative of what it means to be a coffee company serving in the community alongside an amazing gang of baristas. Gilly is unique also in that they serve coffee and tea elixirs to story-tell. With this experience comes a whole new way of thinking and operating. Humility, connection, and people focused service define what Gilly is all about.
In today’s conversation we are going to deep dive into the story of Gilly’s founding, overcoming challenges of history and race, bucking the status quo and much more
We cover:
- Setting the table for guests
- Not being just a coffee bar
- People focus
- Challenges in first year
- Overcoming racism and obstacles
- Customer feedback and leading with humility
- Becoming a light in the community
- The unique elixir beverages and their story
- Hopes for the future
Related Episodes:
236 : Founder Friday! w/ Meil Castagna-Herrera & Curtis Herrera of Cafe Corazon!
222 : How to have Difficult Conversations about Race and Justice w/ Kwame Christian
177 : Founder Friday w/ Jonathan Pascual of Taproom Coffee and Beer in Atlanta, Georgia
116 : Understanding Gentrification w/ Dr. Stacey Sutton
From the founders:
Daniel — I grew up singing & touring professionally and built quite a strong resume as a child. Honestly, I thought that I would be in the music industry full-time. I ended up going to college, studied business. This challenged me as an artist to pursue the path of an entrepreneur. I curated and assisted a few creative brands over the years. That season allowed me to connect with other entrepreneurs. This work eventually led me to my beautiful wife, Shellane. In 2011, I joined her in helping run her family’s business. By 2015 I started a venture of my own. My family purchased a historic property in downtown Stone Mountain. There I officially curated “The Mayor’s House”- where we opened the first gilly concept in 2018. Nephthaly joined the team shortly after — we’ve been getting in good trouble ever since.
Nephthaly — In 2016, after completing my undergraduate degree in Economics, I co-founded an initiative alongside my family serving rural Haiti with medical and dental clinics. I had my eyes set on living abroad. During that time, I reconnected with Daniel. He would share the vision that he and his wife had to build community. I didn’t know just how serious they were about this vision until I returned to Atlanta. After coming back from Mozambique, I joined Daniel in this adventure. Together we began leading a band of baristas that were crazy enough, just like us, to believe that anything was possible. We dream of what could be and laugh when it happens. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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