Hi friends,
We’ve been wanting to start this for a while: a simple letter from us to you where we can pause, reflect, and share a little more of Holm’s journey every month. Our plan is to keep it simple by sharing some stories from the coffee shop and roastery, a peek behind the scenes, and a bit of what inspires us.
When Holm opened its doors in January 2023, it was just the two of us roasting, serving and learning on the fly. Though we both came from hospitality and are passionate about flavours — Izzy a sommelier and Simon a bartender with a love of whiskey — neither of us had worked in coffee, let alone run a business. Those first months were exhausting and uncertain, but what kept us going were the people who showed up: early regulars whose presence reminded us we were building something worth it. Their (your!) support felt like a paycheck in itself.
Then came our first staff, Rose, and with her a shift that was bigger than we could’ve ever anticipated. Hiring has always taken time for us because we care deeply about fit, and we want these roles on our team to feel steady and meaningful. From the beginning, our staff saw things we couldn’t always see ourselves, asked questions that made us rethink the way we worked, and offered honest feedback that helped us grow. Though letting go of tasks has been scary at times, it’s also been such a relief, and we’ve realised that customers are often better looked after by our amazing team who can be fully present, rather than by the two of us trying to juggle everything. Looking back, it was that mix of encouragement and honesty — from regulars at the counter and staff behind it — that shaped Holm more than any business plan could. We send a huge thank you to Rose, Liv, Jas, Wiggy and Keefer!
But Holm isn’t only about what happens inside the coffee shop. Every week we send coffee to people we’ve never met, in places we may never visit. Even if we can’t share a conversation across the bar, this newsletter is a way for us all to connect with that wider circle — with one another as a growing community of coffee lovers. We also want to acknowledge and share about the incredible farmers in places like Rwanda, Honduras, and beyond, whose hands make every cup of coffee possible.
If you’re reading this, it means you’ve been part of Holm’s story already — whether as a neighbor in Revelstoke or someone brewing our coffees far away. Simply put, we’re grateful for you.
And so, because we hope this newsletter will become a conversation, we’d love to hear from you: what would you be curious to read about? The communities that grow our coffees? Notes from staff? Reflections on roastery life? Hit reply to let us know, or bring it up over your next coffee.
With gratitude,
Izzy & Simon
Holm
PS: We’ll be at the first ever Okanagan Coffee Fest happening in Kelowna on October 18th. If you’re nearby, come say hello — we’d love to see you there.
