Nate and Avery move back to Orlando

The CREDO Dispatch #001

Welcome to the first edition of The CREDO Dispatch—a space where coffee collides with meaning, impact, and community. I’m Nate, and if you’re reading this, you’re part of a story that’s bigger than cappuccinos and roast profiles. This blog isn’t just about coffee (though we’ll talk plenty about that). It’s about the choices we make, the people we become, and the impact we leave behind. 

CREDO has always been more than a company—it’s a call to live intentionally. Over the years, this little coffee project has weathered storms, sparked connections, and challenged the idea that business can’t be a force for good. Today, as we navigate a new chapter, I want to invite you into the journey—not just as a customer, but as a co-conspirator in making the world a better place. Let’s dive into where we’ve been, and where we’re going. Buckle up—where we’re going, we don’t need roads. 

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I like coffee. So much so, that I took full ownership of the coffee company that I had been working at for 6 years to keep it alive through some bleak times. But if it was just coffee that I loved, I could have abandoned this project we call CREDO and kept roasting under a different name when things got tough. So why stay? Well, we’re gonna have to start at the beginning for that one. 

One of the things that led Ben Hoyer, who founded CREDO in 2010, to start this journey was that he and his wife had moved around a lot, eventually settling down in Orlando. At that point, he decided that if he was going to intentionally choose to live in Orlando, the city ought to be better off for it.

Through the years, Ben fostered a community of people who actively chose to become people of impact, and he had built a company that was known in the city for being the place where buying coffee is a big deal.

I grew up as something of a nomad myself, moving back and forth between two different states and living in two different countries, for a total of 21 houses by the time I graduated college at 20. But when I landed in Orlando in 2015, I started to call it home. That’s when I found CREDO and was introduced to this idea that buying coffee is a big deal.

I met my wife working at CREDO, and we left Orlando to add another state and two more houses to my nomadic tally in 2020, so, having seen so much of the world in my life, it was no small thing to decide to come back to Orlando and take leadership of CREDO.

I'm not one to assign every little thing that happens in life meaning or purpose, but I do think that the choices we make both determine who we are becoming and affect the world around us. That’s why I fell in love with CREDO, and why I was determined to become a person of impact.

Now it’s my turn to say, that since I’ve intentionally chosen to live in Orlando, the city ought to be better off for it.

Today our operations look a lot different than the CREDO of years past. And you might think that somewhere along the way we changed fundamentally into something different. But I want to remind you that the only constant in life is change. The loss of our cafes was a big setback, but don't worry -I’m just getting started- I didn't come down to Orlando to abolish the CREDO, but to fulfill it by interpreting it and living it in new ways that challenge expectations. 

The world is not yet what it ought to be, but together we can change it.

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If you’ve made it this far, thank you. Truly. CREDO’s story is still being written, and every cup you buy, every conversation you start, and every choice you make to live with purpose adds another line to it. 

Want to keep this momentum going? Visit our online store at credo.coffee to fuel your own journey with coffee that does more than ignite your morning—it sparks a consciousness. And don’t forget to follow us at @downtowncredo for updates, stories, and ways to plug into the community.

Change isn’t made in isolation. It’s made by people who decide that where they are, and what they do, matters. Let’s keep choosing to matter—together. 

Until next time, 

Nate 

*P.S. Know someone who’d love CREDO’s mission? Forward this link. The more, the merrier (and the further we’ll go).

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1 comment

A good explorer is a nomad! We learn from you and credo what a sustainable community looks like. Glad to be part of your circle and this is a great dispatch..looking forward to the next one.

Peter Kuria

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