This article is part of a series that the Revelstoke Review is doing this market season. The Review will highlight the vendors that make the Farmers’ Market special.
It was a steady stream – or drip – of customers for HOLM Coffee Company on Saturday morning at the farmers’ market as they served up fresh coffee to marketgoers.
HOLM Coffee Company are among Revelstoke’s newer businesses. Izzy Lamoureux and Simon Harper started the business and have been roasting ever since. Lamoureux talked about how the business got off the ground, the origins of the name, and how the market has helped their business.
Lamoureux started by explaining how she and Harper started the business.
“HOLM coffee is a product of two bartenders coming together and wanting a bit of a change during COVID,” said Lamoureux.
Lamoureux and Harper were accomplished servers before the pandemic. The two have continued to serve part time to maintain a second stream of revenue. In fact, just this past spring, Lamoureux won the Revelstoke Review’s very own “Best of Revelstoke” award for top bartender. Despite her serving pedigree, Lamoureux said she always set her sights elsewhere.
“I’ve always dreamt of owning my own coffee shop growing up,” said Lamoureux.
The transition out of the service industry was as rewarding as it was challenging for the two.
“Working for yourself has been really awesome and I wouldn’t do it differently,” said Lamoureux.
The two started the business slowly, beginning with a small home roaster for more than a year as they built their business plan. Working with Community Futures and Startup Revelstoke, they received the guidance they needed with the technical aspects of running a business, while also receiving some financial help.
Lamoureux said the learning process for the business has never stopped. Both she and Harper continue to learn every day. When they were still researching the business, Lamoureux spoke highly of Dose, for their role in helping educate them and the community on coffee.
“The baristas there were so knowledgeable and really helpful at explaining things,” she said.
Harper and Lamoureux paired their Dose education with their own research and kept learning more about the business.
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When they named the business, they wanted to make it something short that people could remember, but also to invoke a cozy and comforting association for the customers. Lamoureux is French, so Harper was learning how to speak French when he came up with the name. The name combines the French: la maison, and English: home. Combining the English h-o, and the French l-m for la maison, the two created HOLM, and thus the business name was born.
One of the challenges that Harper and Lamoureux faced was finding a space for the business that could accommodate their needs. It needed to be commercial, industrial, but also have an inviting entrance for those looking to pop in. They landed in the Big Eddy, which they’ve called home for almost a year.
HOLM is relatively new to the farmers’ market, but Lamoureux said they enjoy it.
“I think the market in Revelstoke is amazing. Like it’s really really, really good…people are willing to spend locally, and you can really feel it,” she said.
Lamoureux explained how the market also helps them compensate for something that their Big Eddy location doesn’t always get: traffic.
“It’s amazing for us because our business really helps bring the brand awareness out regardless of good days or bad days,” said Lamoureux.
Look for HOLM Coffee Company on Big Eddy Rd. Or at the farmers’ market, the blue and yellow sign is as vibrant as the coffee they sell.
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@ZacharyDelaney
zach.delaney@revelstokereview.com
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