New Roastery Helps Lead Local Producers Effort in Kansas City

Bill (left) and Bo of Thou Mayest. Facebook photo by Thou Mayest

Thou Mayest, a Kansas City micro roastery that opened last year under the guidance of Bo Nelson and Bill Holzhueter, has become the first company to boast the new Made in Kansas City trademarked logo.

The logo was created by Local Start, a small nonprofit that grew out of a civic engagement initiative last year, and its purpose is to showcase local indie businesses and their products.

Here’s more from localstart.org founder Richard Shipley on the participation of Thou Mayest:

Thou Mayest is a young company with a passion for life, coffee and the human relationship that is developed around coffee. I first experienced their passion during their presentation at 1 million cups —and was not only stopped from multitasking by it but drawn into it. In their short presentation you see the true Kansas City Spirit as they talk about their start up and what it means to them. I was thrilled when they said they would carry the Made in Kansas City Trade Mark and I encourage everyone seek them out and have a fresh roast Made in Kansas City.

The name Thou Mayest itself was inspired by this passage from John Steinbeck’s East of Eden:

But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest”—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.”

Here’s an intensely honest video profile of the small roastery:

Thou Mayest from Nathan Eaton on Vimeo.