It’s hard to find anything as universally appreciated as coffee. Whether you’re an espresso head, an iced frappe fanatic or a purist who loves a simple hot brew, the beloved bean unifies us.
That’s what led Huxley founder Simon Solis-Cohen and his small but mighty “bootstrapped and caffeinated” team, including creative director Halle Hauer and marketing director Bethany Schippel, to ditch their 9-to-5 jobs at a marketing agency and set out on an entrepreneurial trek.
“We really wanted to be able to create products, beverages specifically, for the outdoor adventure community. What we love about it is it’s such a large, diverse community. It's something that everyone can be a part of in their own way,” Simon says. “Everyone has their own version of what adventure means to them.”
“What's so fun is that coffee, for some reason, just has this amazing mass appeal within that community. It's something that's very important to a lot of people. It's very much a ritual baked into adventure, which is unlike a lot of other products.”
As outdoor enthusiasts themselves, Simon, Halle and Bethany are ideal taste testers. Halle, an avid skier, left Minnesota for Montana to snag more runs, while Bethany and Simon find their adventure by cycling and paddling in the relatively flat upper Midwest.
“Everyone has their own thing, but it seems that almost everyone really starts their day with a cup of coffee, whether you're at a campsite, at a base camp, or just at your house before you throw your dogs in the car and head out,” Simon says. “And so we really wanted to create, first of all, exceptional coffee. At the end of the day, it has to taste great. That's the most important thing.”
This led to the birth of not only their bagged coffee, but also their single-serve brew bags. The Backpacker Blend is, in essence, a giant (compostable) tea bag filled with the same freshly ground coffee that goes into their full-sized packaging. It’s sealed in a stay-fresh foil pack that weighs just half an ounce (15 grams). Add hot (or cold) water and voila — you can enjoy boutique, cafe-quality coffee in the farthest reaches of the planet.
“We're able to inspire joy, but we're also able to physically help people overcome challenges and literally fuel up for their day,” Simon says.
Right now Huxley sells light, medium and dark roast whole bean coffee and the Backpacker Blend. The new year will bring new packaging for their bagged coffee and the addition of decaffeinated coffee to the lineup.
Huxley's dreams are as big as the great outdoors — and include sustainable business practices and helping to preserve wild places. That starts with participating in One Percent for the Planet, and doesn’t stop when the beverage is sold and consumed.
“For us, it's important that we make as much of an impact as we can when it comes to the packaging, the footprint we're leaving behind,” Simon says. This led to the design of a compostable brew bag and recyclable foil pouch and box; when you pack it out, you can sort and dispose of it sustainably.
“It's really important that we had that level of integrity built into the packaging,” Simon says.
Whatever Huxley brings to the table in the coming years, it’s sure to be tasty. If you’ve ever found yourself suffering through a mug of stale instant coffee that’s been freeze-dried or spray-dried, you know how it can sear your taste buds.
Huxley’s Backpacker Blend, on the other hand, makes freshly ground coffee portable.
“You know, we're certainly not the first people to package coffee this way,” Simon says. “But I think that hopefully, we're someone who can be recognized for really doing it in a way focused on utility and the adventure community, while also making sure what we put in there is really good.”
Huxley’s Backpacker Blend is flushed three times with nitrogen at different stages of the process. Nitrogen, which is odorless and flavorless, keeps the coffee as fresh as possible.
“So when I open one of our bags, I can just smell fresh ground coffee,” Simon says.
Julianne Will is a writer, editor and marketer specializing in outdoor brands. When she’s not on her laptop, she prefers to be on a mountaintop. You can find her at juliannewill.com.
