Peter Thomas Is Opening Up a Coffee Shop

Watch out Starbucks! Peter Thomas is making a move into the world of coffee in a big way.

Cynthia Bailey's hubby launched his coffee line, Peter's Brew, earlier this year and now the Real Housewives of Atlanta star has his sights set on a coffee shop to brew it in.

"I think the coffee brand needs a storefront, so I am opening a Peter’s Brew coffee shop in early 2015 on historic Auburn Avenue in downtown Atlanta," the business mogul tells The Daily Dish.

The spot even holds special meaning for Peter. "The coffee shop will actually be almost directly across the street from the new and expanded Bar One location that will open in 2015 as well," he says. "Auburn Avenue was once the center of African-American commerce in Atlanta but over time became dilapidated and rundown. The city has been working on redeveloping and revitalizing the area for many years, and it’s finally all coming into fruition. There are new housing developments, restaurants, upscale entertainment venues, and a large college campus all near by, all of which will be serviced by the city’s new trolley line. It’s just the perfect location for me to establish my businesses, and to help entice more people into the area."

I would put Peter’s Brew up against some of the most popular brands around”

Peter Thomas

So what can customers expect to get? "We will offer our Peter’s Brew iced coffee at the coffee shop as well," he said. "We introduced the iced coffee at the Peter’s Brew launch party in November and it was an overwhelming hit. We’ve already received calls from local boutique grocers and coffee shops interested in offering the iced coffee."

As for Peter's other business, he says they're continuing to thrive. "Sports One, my new sports bar in Charlotte, North Carolina, is doing very well and I am opening Bar One Charlotte in 2015 as well," he says. "As you can see, the new year will be one of new beginnings for me, my family and my team. But in the end, all my hard work, and that of my team, will be well worth it."

While the coffee has only been out for a short time, coffee lovers are already taking to his roasts.

"The response has been amazing!" he says. "We recently introduced the single cups that can be used in a Keurig and we sold out almost immediately. In fact, the single cups are on backorder right now. That’s a good problem to have right out the gate. When we quietly launched Peter’s Brew online earlier this year, the immediate response from fans was overwhelmingly positive and my team and roaster went into overtime to meet the demand."

With plans to add more flavors and roasts in the future, Peter says he's personally involved in its creation.

"First and foremost, I traveled to Jamaica to meet with local coffee growers in the historic Blue Mountains to see for myself what goes into curating the perfect cup of coffee, especially in terms of taste," he says. "I wanted to offer a full-flavored robust blend that people could really appreciate, and that represented my native country of Jamaica. Jamaica produces some of the best coffee in the world straight from the beautiful Blue Mountains, and I wanted to share it with the world. Peter’s Brew is very smooth and doesn’t have that bitter after taste of some other popular brands. I would put Peter’s Brew up against some of the most popular brands around, and I am confident it would come out on top. I’ve had veteran coffee drinkers tell me it’s the best coffee they’ve ever tasted, and I have had non-coffee drinkers try it and become our most frequent buyers."