The Meteor co-founder Doug Zell Is Expanding his Bike Cafe Concept to Your Town_Part 2/2
12/10/23 • 59 min
Interview Part 2/2 takes all the context that we collected in Part 1 - Doug's upbringing in a creative household, brief flirtation with a serious cycling career, and epic journey pioneering the craft coffee industry - and gets to the good part. That is, how Doug rediscovered bikes after a decades long hiatus and hatched a brand that blends his flare for hospitality into a cyclist's haunt. The Meteor's path to a delightful multifaceted space has been circuitous, but as Doug points out, every misstep has helped his team focus the mold. This model was always meant to be a repeatable one, and The Meteor has ambitious plans for new locations across the country over the next couple years. Don't miss the finale when Doug shares how hard bike racing mirrors the seemingly insurmountable challenges in entrepreneurship.
Doug Zell is the cofounder of various businesses including Intelligentsia Coffee, Allied Cyle Works, and of course, The Meteor, where you can find him fastidiously attending to the smallest details of the cafe, bike shop and wine bar.
Hill Climbers is more than just a podcast, it's a growing business network for cyclists. You can tap into our event by following our Linkedin and Instagram, and subscribing to our newsletter.
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Theme Music: Summer Vibes by Rizik
Interview Part 2/2 takes all the context that we collected in Part 1 - Doug's upbringing in a creative household, brief flirtation with a serious cycling career, and epic journey pioneering the craft coffee industry - and gets to the good part. That is, how Doug rediscovered bikes after a decades long hiatus and hatched a brand that blends his flare for hospitality into a cyclist's haunt. The Meteor's path to a delightful multifaceted space has been circuitous, but as Doug points out, every misstep has helped his team focus the mold. This model was always meant to be a repeatable one, and The Meteor has ambitious plans for new locations across the country over the next couple years. Don't miss the finale when Doug shares how hard bike racing mirrors the seemingly insurmountable challenges in entrepreneurship.
Doug Zell is the cofounder of various businesses including Intelligentsia Coffee, Allied Cyle Works, and of course, The Meteor, where you can find him fastidiously attending to the smallest details of the cafe, bike shop and wine bar.
Hill Climbers is more than just a podcast, it's a growing business network for cyclists. You can tap into our event by following our Linkedin and Instagram, and subscribing to our newsletter.
Startuplandia.io Sponsors Hill Climbers Content & Free Beer
www.hill-climbers.com
Instagram
Linkedin
Theme Music: Summer Vibes by Rizik
Previous Episode
The Meteor co-founder Doug Zell Built Pioneering Cafe Brand Intelligentsia in the Mid 90s_Part 1/2
Doug Zell is the cofounder of various businesses including Intelligentsia Coffee, Allied Cyle Works, and of course, The Meteor, where you can find him fastidiously attending to the smallest details of the cafe, bike shop and wine bar. What unfolds in part 1 of our 2 part interview, is a story about racing bikes in the midwest in the 80s, pioneering the modern coffee industry in the 90’s and discovering an appreciation for design in the aughts. If you listen closely, you’ll notice that Doug was at the forefront of the "direct trade" movement, which nurtures relationships directly with native growers in order to enhance businesses on both sides of the transaction. This first installment, with its focus on establishing a consumer aesthetic, sets the stage for why Doug is an outsized contributor to Austin’s bike community. We’ll cover that in Part 2. Please enjoy this remarkable episode, as Doug’s experience and vibe make him a special addition to our guest list.
Hill Climbers is more than just a podcast, it's a growing business network for cyclists. You can tap into our event by following our Linkedin and Instagram, and subscribing to our newsletter.
Startuplandia.io Sponsors Hill Climbers Content & Free Beer
www.hill-climbers.com
Instagram
Linkedin
Theme Music: Summer Vibes by Rizik
Next Episode
Driveway Series Race Director Chris Tolley Presents, TOLLEYWOOD
If you’re racing bikes in Austin, TX, welcome to Tolleywood. The timing of this episode could not be more opportune given the slate of projects Chris Tolley has planned for 2024, and what I love most about this race promoter, is that he understands the value of branding, not just for individual races but for the sport of cycling on the whole. Chris’s background is firmly entrenched in BMX riding, where style, technical ability and strength are all required. “Style” is the component that is frequently missing from road races and Tolley has vowed to take the extra steps to make his races look good by anyone’s standards. These branding and digital marketing skills have come through years of cultivating an egocentric online persona that both mocks influencer culture while it effectively influences culture. All of these qualities on top of elite crit racing accolades make Tolley a VERY effective hype man, and one that Austin is lucky to have. Tolley is the race director of Driveway Series, America’s most prolific race series, and he has a burning desire to deliver an exceptional experience to all parties that seems to be driven mostly by the challenge of making it as good as it can possibly be. This is not an episode about business so much as passion for culture, two wheel motion and community.
Hill Climbers is more than just a podcast, it's a growing business network for cyclists. You can tap into our event by following our Linkedin and Instagram, and subscribing to our newsletter.
Startuplandia.io Sponsors Hill Climbers Content & Free Beer
www.hill-climbers.com
Instagram
Linkedin
Theme Music: Summer Vibes by Rizik
Hill Climbers - The Meteor co-founder Doug Zell Is Expanding his Bike Cafe Concept to Your Town_Part 2/2
Transcript
So so, really, you know, Intelligentsia, I I think, is just a very important part of the story and and about, your career and how you got to the media. And I will I will share, we we moved to Austin 3 years ago. And, you know, I'm a I'm a avid cyclist. I've I've gotten my wife into it. And we, you know, landed, in a neighborhood that's a mile away from from the meteor here in Austin, off off South Congress. And the meteor is a very special place. You know, a big reaso
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