Local Dawsonville hotspot “Because Coffee” is opening a new location in the Cumming City Center with an interesting new twist: highlighting the myths and legends of the community.
When a new face comes by the coffee shop in Dawsonville, owner Doug Cole takes it upon himself to learn their name and see what they are up to. It is the personal touch and connection with his customers that sets his shop apart from the rest. That methodology is imparted to his employees, and it is what keeps many customers coming back time and time again.
Because Coffee has been roasting beans and serving up hot coffee since 2019. Now, an opportunity to spread its reach south into Cumming has opened up, but the new shop will go by a different name: Myth & Legend.
Cole was a previous member of the board of directors for the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce, which is where he made several connections that opened the door for the new location.
“It was a bigger opportunity, it was a bigger cost,” Cole said. “But it looks like it's going to be a good opportunity. And the city of Cumming is showing that they're willing to put their money where their mouth is, and they're pouring into it and really building up events, attracting a lot of people.”
Before contacting Cole to see if he would be interested in opening a new location, the city already knew they wanted a coffee shop within the city center area. They even had the exact parcel picked out—the only problem: it sits right next to a suite that’s reserved for a fire engine, along with a memorial to Forsyth County firefighters, which is all said to be visible from the interior of the shop.
While some prospects saw that aspect of the location as out-of-the-ordinary, or unfitting with a coffee shop brand, Cole saw an opportunity to further the mission statement of his business.
“We’re real cause-driven, we love that stuff,” Cole said. “We love to support our first responders, we love to support our school system, we get involved … so the whole thing is a memorial. You’ve got fallen firefighters, fallen in the line of duty, folks who have done different things, and here's a spokesman telling stories—the myths and legends of their fire department.”
Coffee Aficionado Eddie Wilson is Cole’s business partner and had the original idea to open more coffee shops beyond Because Coffee, but rather than reusing the name at every store, he wanted to highlight something unique about the city where the shops are located. Both Cole and Wilson had an idea to theme a shop after musical legends, starting with a jazz theme. But when the location in the Cumming City Center opened up, they realized the “myth and legend” idea could stretch further than they anticipated.
Cole started out roasting coffee beans in a popcorn popper as a side hustle. He later bought an actual roaster and eventually started selling his coffee at various farmer’s markets and cafes.
Through connections Cole had made, the opportunity opened up to start a full-fledged coffee roasting and serving business in Georgia. Because Coffee opened its doors in 2019 after Cole moved from Cleveland, Ohio.
Behind Because Coffee is a larger parent organization known as Christian Media International, which was founded by Wilson in 2013. CMI is a full-service missions organization with the aim to create Christian media and air it for international television markets.
“We bring in people from across the world, different cultures speaking languages,” Cole said. “And so they'll come in, they'll record at least a year's worth of [television] broadcasting. And we used to do that here in the States. And now, since everything's changed over the past couple of years, we decided to start opening studios across the world.”
Currently, CMI has five active studios and two more in the works, with a total goal of 15 studios down the road. They also have created Christian media content in over 45 different languages, with a final goal of reaching 100 total major languages in the future.
Throughout CMI’s endeavors, they came to realize there was a large humanitarian effort blindspot that needed to be filled. Wilson subsequently started another organization called Impact Others, which seeks to supply clean water, feed hungry children, build and maintain orphanages and help others start businesses.
Myth & Legend is looking at a mid-summer opening date. Cole noted that if they are able to open their doors sooner, they will, but with a full build-out taking place, he can’t make any promises. The shop will specialize in coffee, but will also offer a menu of traditional cafe food items as well.
