Is it โkeyโ or โkwayโ? As of Monday, April 29th, itโs pronounced โThou Mayest.โ According to Startland News, two Kansas City coffee companies are joining forces with the just-announced acquisition of Quay Coffee by Thou Mayest Coffee Roasters.
The acquisition is part of an aggressive growth strategy by Thou Mayest. According to the article, the coffee roasting company will pull under its banner the two Quay cafesโboth multi-roaster shops that will presumably switch to a single roaster model under the new ownershipโas well as open a second location of their own, a 2,000-square-foot cafe inside collaborative space Collective Ex that has been dubbed โThee Outpost.โ The brand is jumping from one to four cafes almost overnight.
Thou Mayest co-owner Bo Nelson tells Starland News:
โYou can expect the same attention to detail in our environment and product as well as the inclusive, creative community our service encourages,โ Nelson said. โWe love the product and community that Quay is known for. It was a natural association with our growth trajectory and there was great brand alignment. Thereโs more to come on that as we continue listening to what people want it to become, and we arenโt done yet. Growth is good and this is just our warmup.โ
As part of the changeover, all Quay locations will be updated with โequipment modifications behind the bar,โ more โhealth-conscious options,โ and an uptick in alternative milk options. โThere will be more plants, I can promise that much,โ Nelson states, an allusion to the Family Tree Nursery owned by his family, home of another Thou Mayest outpost, Cafe Equinox.
Nelson also tells Starland News that Thou Mayest will retain all Quay employees, but some folks may see shifts in which location they work at as the two teams intermingle.
There are no details yet as to whether or not Quay will continue to operate under its original name or when a potential name change would occur. Though I think they should really lean into the common mispronunciation and go with “Thou Quayest,” but that’s just me, a person chronically incapable of not blurting out every bit of wordplay that pops into my head.
For more information on the acquisition, read the Starland News article here.
Zac Cadwaladerย is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas.ย Read more Zac Cadwaladerย on Sprudge.
Top image via Thou Mayest
