Here at the start of 2020, our first crowdfunding feature of the year is about Portrait Coffee, a newly-minted Black-owned specialty roaster currently working with Kickstarter to help fund a new cafe in Atlanta’s West End.

Making their debut in December of 2019, Portrait Coffee’s goal is to “change the picture that comes to your mind when you think of coffee,” per their Instagram post announcing the company and the Kickstarter campaign. Comprised of six co-founders— ranging from coffee professional to designer, from artist to author—Portrait has spent the majority of the company’s nascence toting a La Marzocco Linea Mini and Mazzer Major grinder around Atlanta for a variety of pop-up events.

Through coffee, Portrait aims to “empower and equip Atlanta natives and residents with genuine career and life opportunities,” a goal made all the more attainable via a brick-and-mortar cafe. With the help of Kickstarter, Portrait plans to open a coffee space in the West End,”a historic Atlanta neighborhood with a rich history of black entrepreneurs and culture” that is “experiencing a rich revitalization… that’s been lacking the presence of new black and brown entrepreneurs.” With a successful campaign, the coffee company plans to open their storefront by the end of 2020.

But the first step is the Kickstarter reaching its funding goal, and Portrait is tantalizingly close. As of publication, the campaign has earned nearly $28,000 of its $30,000 goal with six days remaining to cross the finish line. Pledges start as low as $10, with contributions of $25 or more earning a Portrait coffee mug or $50 or more for a mug and 12 ounce bag of their Founder’s Blend. As the amounts increase so too does the swag, including totes, shirts, annual coffee subscriptions, and even a photography studio session.

For more information on Portrait Coffee, to contribute to their campaign, or to see where they are popping up next, visit their Kickstarter page and follow them on Instagram.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

All images via Portrait Coffee