our story

"Chattz is an important part of the local economy, and the company's dedication
to Chattanooga is
greatly appreciated
by city and county
governments, the
Chamber and the
business
community."
J. Steven Hiatt,
Director, Existing Business Development, Chattanooga Area Chamber of
Commerce

Coffee at the Crossroads

The road that led to starting a coffee roasting company in the heart of downtown Chattanooga has been full of the unexpected and adventurous.The journey began in the world of book publishing on the west coast and ministry administration in the southeast and eventually wound through the fascinating world of ancient Israel and along the route of the Apostles into Turkey, Greece, and Rome.

After a thirteen-year career in Christian publishing, Eileen Mason, joined forces with Evelyn Wheeler, one of the founding employees of Precept Ministries of Chattanooga, TN and then V.P. of Communications to start The Israel Tour Company. Over the next six years they built an exciting organization, offering custom tours to Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and southern Europe. After making over fifty trips to the Middle East escorting tour groups, the journey seemed to come to an end in October, 2000 when Israel erupted into terrorism and violence.

Back home in America, The Israel Tour Company went on hold in the spring of 2001, and the inspiration to bring a different kind of coffee experience to the burgeoning downtown Chattanooga market was born. Taking their inspiration from the great coffeehouses of Italy, Paris, and Vienna, they returned to Chattanooga detirmined to capture some of the ambiance they had experienced around the world.

Hoping to create the timeless quality and character of European roasts, they sought out a roastmaster whose roasting methods had produced his own successful coffee venture on the West Coast and carefully learned and adapted his methods to the unique climate and culture of the southeast. Under a mentor's tutelage, Mason and Wheeler founded the Chattanooga Coffee Company and today sell their fresh-roasted coffee and espresso beverages to the city of Chattanooga and beyond.

Because of the impact that terrorism had on the owners' tour company some three years ago, the new Chattanooga Coffee Company officially opened on September 11, 2002. The opening day of the company is a tribute and remembrance to the lives lost on that day and stands in honor of the American Spirit that rebuilds and begins again.

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Chattz Coffee embraces the great history of Chattanooga past, and is pleased to be a part of a Chattanooga's exciting future.