When Erik Ford relocated to San Antonio from Los Angeles, he was in a brand new metropolis with no actual buddies or connections. He turned to Dribble.com, a social media platform for designers. There, he stumbled upon the work of an area San Antonio designer, Steven Darby.
The 2 met in individual and rapidly bonded over the whole lot from music to style and popular culture. Ultimately, they fostered a working relationship that in 2013 blossomed into their profitable inventive agency, Heavy Heavy.
The agency has labored with many distinguished names all through the Alamo Metropolis and past, leaving their mark on corporations and organizations like Hemisfair, Texas A&M-San Antonio, and even SPAM.
In 2023, a decade after its delivery, Heavy Heavy launched a ardour mission — Okay First rate Human Model. Okay First rate is a espresso firm from the skin trying in, however from the within looking, it’s way more. In brief, Okay First rate is a life-style model that occurs to promote espresso and different gadgets, whereas partnering with native creatives to present them a bigger platform.
“The inspiration for the whole lot we do with Okay First rate is the concept once we come collectively as a neighborhood, we’re strongest,” Ford mentioned. “We type of thought to ourselves, what higher method to begin coming collectively than to share an excellent cup of espresso or tea together with your family members and neighbors?”
Of the mission’s identify, Darby says, “Okay First rate is the shortest method to describe our perspective on neighborhood and simply getting alongside. Being OK is for you, and being first rate is for everybody else. It’s perhaps a response to the state of issues round us, nevertheless it’s a positioning assertion both manner. We’re right here to be good neighbors and get alongside.”
Whereas simply over a yr outdated, Okay First rate has steadily put out a stellar number of espresso, beginning with the favored Pal Maker, a medium roast espresso with hints of milk chocolate, nougat and stone fruit, adopted by Agency Grip, a daring and earthy darker roast; Household Magic, a seasonal providing impressed by the standard Mexican espresso drink café de olla; and its latest pecan praline creation, Phrase Bond, created as an ode to San Antonio’s lifelong love affair with pecans.
Ford and Darby are meticulous when deciding on espresso taste profiles and roasts.
“We do what we like however lean on our roaster as a lot as doable. He’s type of a mad scientist of kinds” who’s at all times engaged on one thing new, says Darby, referring to their roasting companion, Mike Tabhan of Texas Espresso Roasters. The group continuously tries new samples to create the right product. Though espresso has to date been their predominant export, the group is diligently engaged on tea ideas for spring and have a newly launched meat rub. All of their merchandise can be found on their website.
One factor that units Okay First rate aside from conventional espresso manufacturers is its connection to native artists. The model has just lately launched a collection known as Legends & Mates, the place it collaborates with native San Antonio artists to fight what it views as an underrepresentation of illustrators featured on native items. Okay First rate companions with these artists to provide one-of-a-kind T-shirts, permitting artists to revenue with out the overhead of printing and different bills.
“As we roll out extra different choices, I hope folks will start to see Okay First rate as a life-style model celebrating and uplifting the makers and doers in our neighborhood, not only a espresso model,” Ford mentioned. “From artists to espresso roasters and so many issues in between, we wish to highlight the excessive degree of high quality being produced by our neighbors so extra folks can take pleasure in them.”
Darby provides, “I do hope they purchase espresso, although. It’s actually good.”
