Meet Nicholas Cockrell | Coffee Roaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicholas Cockrell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, what are you inspired by?
Excellent question! I am inspired by many things, honestly. For starters, I am inspired by nature. I love hiking and being immersed in nature, and so living with the Great Smoky Mountains in my backyard definitely helps. There is something truly grounding, humbling, and rejuvenating that comes with being outside. In my most recent hike, I walked a path to a waterfall where I realized my finiteness. The waterfall, the trees, the rocks, and wildlife were preserved and sustained without me being there. I am not needed for life to continue there; however, it is still remarkable to experience and behold. Walking and hiking this trek challenged me to consider mortality, involvement, and place as a human, artist, and even husband. In all things, it is a blessing to be involved with and a part of, but life goes on without me whether I’m somewhere or not. The sun doesn’t revolve around me, after all.

I will take an experience like this, ponder it, and draw inspiration from nature’s wisdom, and I will make a piece (whether poetry or visual arts) out of it. Art is much more than a finished piece, but it is the all-encompassing and culmination of the journeys, experiences, pontifications, conversations, and interactions we have as people.

Second, I am inspired by the essence of connection and belonging. Humans share innate desires to connect with others and find circles to belong. Art and coffee offer this gift. For example, my art pieces’ overall meaning stays the same but changes in interpretation. Each person brings a unique variety of biases, thoughts, experiences, beliefs, doubts, fears, admirations, and more to the conversation surrounding my pieces, making it more conversational in essence. I love hearing different people’s thoughts on a piece. For me, every person is welcome to the table of conversation.

Similarly, I feel the same with coffee. This is a hot take, but there is a spirit of arrogance within coffee circles (like the art world) unspoken but stating the more experience and refined palate someone has, the better you are as a person. This is entirely untrue. Experience and taste do not qualify people to be better, or over, than others. Coffee, like art,
is about communal belonging; coming to the metaphorical table as you are, sharing thoughts, opinions, and experiences, building bonds. This is what matters. You like what you like, even if someone doesn’t like coffee or prefers a certain style or type. I will say, however, there is a distinction to be made between objective quality and subjective preference. But neither are reasons to put someone else down for not sharing similar passions or interests as you. The next time you get your morning coffee, observe the people around you. These are all people with stories; and your lives are stitched together in that moment in time, regardless of what everyone is drinking.

Regardless, this drives me to make the best roast or blend of coffee I can. I roast knowing that coffee is supposed to unite rather than separate, give life rather than deplete it, be enjoyable rather than detestable. When I see people enjoy the work of my hands, my heart is overjoyed.

Third, I am inspired by love (i.e. my wife). My wife supports and celebrates me with my wild ideas for roasts and art-projects. She gets excited for me and tells people that I roast for Likewise and Cultivate. She’s proud of the work I do. Knowing that the work I do matters as well as celebrated by the love of my life pushes and challenges me to do my best while growing to be even better. This is also the work I get to do to support her and our family. That’s inspiration enough as is.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The opportunity to roast coffee and be an assistant manager sort of just happened. One assistant manager was leaving, and my boss (who was roasting our coffee) was pregnant and couldn’t continue roasting to maintain healthiness. At the time, I was looking to ask for a raise, or I’d have to go elsewhere, because I was looking to have a little more income coming in before I got married. A couple months prior to the promotion, I tried my hand in the entrepreneurship arena as a self-sustained artist, which crashed and burned fairly quickly. Two months in, I only made $500 which is nothing close to what I needed to pay bills, let alone eat. Thankfully, my lifegroup (church group) pitched in and covered me financially. I went full-time at Cultivate as a barista, and then in February (4 months before my wedding) the opportunity to step into roasting and admin opened up. This path wasn’t easy, honestly (the decision to better my future wife and I and have more responsibility was an easy decision). Having felt like a failure in my endeavors as an artist made for a ton of wrestling internally with purpose, capacity, capability, worth, and more. There was definitely a lot of imposter-syndrome like who did I think I was stepping into an arena of coffee roasting without any prior knowledge of roasting. But knowing this was an opportunity to step into to serve the coffeeshops and my bosses, I was going to learn and give it my best.

Over the last couple of months, I have learned the rigidity and structure required as an artist. In abstract art, there is a lot of room for expression from suffering; but in coffee roasting, there is more room for structure, order, and consistency (three things I lacked as an artist). Now, I paint with flavors and profiles rather than colors and paints.

Moreover, I made a big mistake back in May by not paying attention to inventory for roasting room. I received an order for a decaf order, but I only had enough for half the order. I took ownership because I dropped the ball on that order and in that moment. I realized that I was responsible for everything within the department, and inventory and making sure I communicate what I need is essential to our success as a roastery. It is crucial to take responsibility for the area I’m entrusted with for stewardship. I’ve also learned the importance of time-management, proportion control, cleanliness and orderliness, as well as what to prioritize. This isn’t my kingdom so I can’t do whatever I want; it’s merely a sandbox with parameters that I get to make things for a beautiful cause.

The biggest component that sets Likewise Roastery apart is the faith-based nonprofit that runs it. Raising a Voice empowers at-risk women to get out of sex-trafficking and homelessness by building relationships with the women, case management, and providing practical needs to love, care, and serve the women. All the proceeds and profits go directly to the ministry. Our bosses don’t take a penny. The pursuit of justice by providing an excellent cup of coffee sets us apart tremendously.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Absolutely! I love telling people about Knoxville and giving lists of places for people to try out. First off, Knoxville Botanical Gardens in East Knox is free to the public and beautiful. It has a variety of trails around the perimeter that winds you through a variety of flowers. There is an awesome view of the mountains as well. During the Spring, it is much more lively with colors and blooms, but even in the Winter with its silence makes for a peaceful and reverent outing. Next, I would recommend downtown, especially Old City Knoxville. The timelessness of the buildings compliments the modernity of businesses and restaurants. One of my favorite coffee shops, Old City Java, lies in the heart of it. There are quaint shops with a variety of breweries and restaurants for dining. Check out the Dogwoods Art Gallery and The Emporium for local art that is truly top notch. From there, being on Gay St offers a lot too: Chivo’s, Cruze Farm Ice Cream, Maple Hall (which is a bowling alley underneath the main street in Knoxville), and several bars. Market Square is also in this area, which you can access from Gay St. There are local boutiques, eateries, and pubs that make for an excellent time in Knoxville. Depending on the time of year, Market Square also holds free “Shakespeare in the Park”, live Jazz, concerts, farmers’ markets, and so much more. Check out Barley’s Pizza, Pretentious Brewing, Stock & Barrel, and Cafe 4 while in this area! Oh! There is a alleyway full of local artists’ murals that’s super unique to Knoxville.

I’m biased, so definitely check out Likewise Roastery on Magnolia Ave (Downtown to East Knox)or Cultivate Coffee and Flowers in Fountain City (North Knox) for coffee, but also give Honeybee (South and West Knox), Five and Hoek (Downtown), Remedy (close to Downtown), and Awaken Coffee out for great coffee and vibes.

Breweries – Xul is by far the best. Their creativity and delivery are remarkable. They’re in an old car dealership which adds to the experience with its wide windows and dark ambiance. Crafty Bastard is a nostalgic favorite of mine with its specialty beers and unique flavors. Pretentious is super cool because their glasses are made next door is a glass blowing business. They have some wonky, but flavorful, beers and glasses they go into. Abridged has the best burger in town, and they’re a pretty solid brewery as well.

Restaurants – definitely try out La Herraduras. Best authentic Hispanic food in Knoxville. Inskip Grill has some BIG burgers that are wild but delicious. Chayo’s has amazing Thai. To be honest, a lot of the places downtown in Market Square are overpriced and average (except Stock and Barrel – pricey, small but still really good). However, Curious Dog near the Emporium is one of my favorite places in Knoxville. Moderately priced with an extensive list of hot dogs and sandwiches that never disappoint. Dead End BBQ did my wedding, so yeah enough said, check them out too!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First off, as a Christian, it would be vain not to mention and recognize the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’s involvement and provision in getting me to where I am today. Give praise where praise is deserved. Second, I want to highlight my wife. The level of comfort, encouragement, honesty, and sacrifice she gives for me is incredibly humbling and wonderful. I am loved, chosen, known, and encouraged by her in such a way I strive to grow and be better, whether as her husband, as a man, as a Christian, as an artist and roaster. Third, James Wilhelm is my manager, and one of my closest friends. He fights for me and makes sure my voice is heard like no other. He helps make my dreams into reality all-the-while challenging me to grow, sharpening iron with iron. Other people who have helped shape this story of mine: my parents and their support, my brother and his wife for challenging me to think for myself, Micah Riley for late night conversations about calling, purpose, and what it means to follow Christ, Tyler Claxton and Brandon Bowen for suffering with me during the loss of our roommate and the brotherhood we now share, John McClellan and his empathy as a professor (it’s partly credited to him that I’m still alive to this day), Dr. Brummett and his mentorship and friendship, Ms. Hartman and Mr. Underwood as they challenged me as an artist and life-student, and so many more. My life and story would not be what it is without all of these people. I truly am thankful for these people.

Website: likewisecoffee.com cultivateknox.com

Image Credits
Hayden Antal Dylan Currie Cami Norman