Tell me a little about yourself.
Micah: "I moved here from New Orleans. I have a degree in music from The Atlanta Institute of Music and Media. I’ve been in the coffee industry for about 4-5 years. I started at Starbucks and then worked as a General Manager at Meteor before coming to Nexus"
What do you do at Nexus?
M: "I am a General Manager (GM) so my job contains lots of different things. Training, ordering, consistency, master recipe list, creating drinks, scheduling… All normal GM stuff."
How did Nexus get its start?
M: "We opened on July 15, 2017. Amy had the vision to start a company all about community outreach and coffee seemed the best way to do that. She went to a hospitality training school in Texas, but wanted to do something different so she hired a lot of talented coffee professionals to make sure the bar and coffee served were great."
Who is Nexus? What makes Nexus different?
M: "Nexus strives to be a meeting place, a point of connection, meaning, and creativity for our city. What makes us different? While Nexus does concentrate on good and consistent coffee, we also strongly focus on the community and to build up other local businesses. I think that sets us apart to do both well, and helps to be known for that."
How have your customers responded to RMC being in Little Rock?
M: "Our customers have seemed to notice an immediate difference in a positive way. They like the variety and consistency of RMC. Others have provided good coffee, but then the same bean would taste different. We haven’t had that issue with RMC. Always delicious, great quality, and consistent."
Anything that sticks out to you or is special about partnering with RMC as a wholesale client?
M: "I’ve known Scott and Kyle for years so trusting them as coffee professionals and as our wholesale supplier was easy. I also know that if I have a question or concern, I can reach out to the owners directly which is the benefit of working with a local roaster. I can also get coffee very quickly which is nice when unexpected needs appear."
What's your favorite thing about the coffee industry?
M: "To me, coffee is a great equalizer. Very few people don’t like coffee and it’s accessible to all walks of life and across incomes. Coffee brings people together in a beautiful way. There’s also endless stuff to learn about coffee. And the more you learn, the more you realize you still have so much to learn."
Love the expansion! Anything else new coming up for Nexus that you can share with us?
M: "We have some exciting things coming, but they’re still projects in the work."
If someone was coming to Nexus for the first time, what would you recommend they get to grasp the best idea of who you guys are?
M: "I would tell them to get an Ethiopia pour over and a cinnamon roll. Our cinnamon rolls are made from scratch and are incredibly good. And maybe try the Chocolate Stout or Blueberry Basil Nitro. That’s something unique to us. Oh, and sit in the new stage area with all the natural light."
How can Central Arkansas support Nexus?
M: "By coming to Nexus. A lot of people are still going to Starbucks and McDonald’s probably because it's cheap and known, but a need for all of the local coffee community, in general, is just to show up to show your support. Even one cup makes a difference."
Visit your local coffee shop, like Nexus, today and support local and small businesses this COVID holiday season!