Nashville coffee shops host LGBTQ+ Pride coffee crawl
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A brightly colored Pride latte sold at 8th And Roast. Photo: Adam Tamburin/Axios
Coffee shops across the city are joining forces to celebrate Pride Month with a series of specialty drinks in honor of the LGBTQ+ community.
- The Pride "coffee crawl" runs through next Saturday.
Why it matters: Many of the participating establishments are donating a portion of the proceeds from their technicolor lattes and iced teas to organizations that help the LGBTQ+ community.
What they're saying: Matryoshka Coffee owner Abbey Chiavario tells Axios she organized the collaborative event to "celebrate our staff, friends and customers by offering something fun for a lot of people to partake in."
- "Being queer in the South isn't easy, and it's the least we could do to show our support and our love in a tangible way," Chiavario says. "Plus, it's fun to stretch those creative muscles!"
The buzz: Chiavario previously organized a Valentines-themed coffee crawl. She says it's been fun to see customers embrace the concept — some of them try to stop by every shop and track their progress on spreadsheets.
By the numbers: There are 17 coffee spots listed as participants, some with multiple locations. Chiavario says that's evidence of the family-like bond among different coffee-slingers across town.
Zoom in: Participating shop 8th And Roast is offering the Rubyfruit Jungle iced latte, which is made with oat milk that was steeped in Fruity Pebbles.
- "8th And Roast is a welcoming place for all communities every day, and participating in a Pride coffee crawl is a way we can reaffirm that," managing partner Q Taylor tells Axios.
- 8th And Roast's Billi Dallas, who created the rainbow latte with team member Julia Austin, tells Axios it was inspired by the "nostalgia of Saturday morning cereal."
💠Adam's thought bubble: The Axios Nashville team visited five of the participating shops in 24 hours. I'm shaking from excitement … and espresso.
- I'm a native Nashvillian and thought I had a pretty firm grasp on the coffee scene, but the coffee crawl opened my eyes to the options I hadn't visited.
- Matryoshka, a tiny coffee shop bursting with charm and bright colors, is getting added to my regular rotation alongside established favorites like 8th And Roast and Three Brothers Coffee.