Coffee and CrossFit go together like peanut butter and jelly. So when Gabe Maldonado, CEO of Paper Street Coffee, had the opportunity to open a shop inside PRVN HQ in Nashville, he jumped at the chance.
- The New Jersey-based coffee company has become well-known in the CrossFit community, appearing at in-person competitions and sponsoring elite athletes.
Maldonado started the company in 2021, and it has experienced rapid growth ever since. It has two brick-and-mortar locations and a thriving online business.
Approximately two years ago, Maldonado was in the process of opening his first shop in Cresskill, NJ.
- During that time, PRVN Fitness CEO Nic Johnston reached out about sponsoring their Games team, which catapulted their relationship.
When PRVN HQ opened its Nashville location about a year later, Johnston again contacted Maldonado, this time regarding a potential partnership.
- “They [PRVN] had basically a little bit over 1000 square feet of just a square empty box just to play with, and I was down,” Maldonado told Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
When the PRVN opportunity arose, Maldonado and his wife/co-CEO learned they were expecting their first child while still working to open the New Jersey location.
The ambitious couple decided to embrace it all.
- “If you’re building something and you’re devoting attention, and time and space, and you’re devoting just energy to it, you want it to be perfect,” says Maldonado.
The build-out process was stressful, and Maldonado had to fly to Nashville nearly every other week to oversee the construction and ensure that everything was progressing well.
Paper Street Coffee offers specialty third-wave, single-origin coffee sourced from ethical producers. They provide a variety of roast options, cold brews, and teas.
A crucial aspect of establishing the shop in Nashville was ensuring it had the right ambiance and aligned with Maldonado and the brand as a whole.
- “I just went to every single coffee shop, and there are some amazing coffee spots in Nashville. But you’ve been to coffee shops where you walk up to the counter, and the person who takes your order is just there going through the motions. That’s fine for them. That wasn’t fine for Paper Street Coffee,” Maldonado said.
While PRVN Fitness and Paper Street are closely intertwined, the coffee shop operates independently and attracts customers beyond those from the CrossFit gym.
Maldonado says his staff consists of approximately 50% CrossFitters and 50% non-CrossFitters. He mentioned that every time he works at the shop in Nashville, he encounters 10 to 20 customers who are not CrossFitters but simply people who discovered the coffee shop online.
- “For me, it’s one of those things where I tell my staff, ‘hey guys’ we’re going to work our asses off to make sure everyone feels welcome and everyone feels comfortable whether they are there for the coffee or whether they are there for the fitness,” he added.
PRVN Fitness and the Nashville community have warmly welcomed Maldonado, including co-founder and G.O.A.T. Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr, whom he met before the opening.
- “I remember telling Tia I will come nowhere near close to you when it comes to fitness, but I will work as hard as you guys to make sure that this relationship, that this coffee shop, is perfect and better than anything you could have ever thought of or even expected from this relationship,” Maldonado said.
The work continues even with the shop open.
Maldonado is still traveling to Nashville to ensure the operation runs smoothly and constantly collaborates with his staff to refine and adjust the layout, coffee, food offerings, and more.
While the coffee shop doesn’t depend on PRVN’s success, the two will continue to foster a strong, hopefully long-lasting relationship.
- “We have our coffee shop, they have their gym, and in the middle, we have this opportunity to give every person that walks in there, whether they’re a professional athlete or just someone walking in, an awesome experience,” he concluded.
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Featured Image: Gabe Maldonado
