Christy Wimberly may own and operate a coffee establishment, but she’s quick to share that her passion isn’t the java. Her passion is the people.

In fact, she didn’t drink coffee at all until she opened Honest Coffee Roasters in 2017 in downtown Huntsville.

“I was like, if I’m going to do this, I’ve got to learn coffee. So I went and immersed myself with this guy named Brad in Franklin (Tenn.) who was a coffee genius.”

Wimberly is a Nashville, Tenn., native, who has called Huntsville home since 1999, putting down roots and raising two daughters here. She brought the Honest Coffee Roasters brand to Huntsville from Franklin, Tenn., where Honest Coffee Roasters began in 2014. In May 2017 Wimberly opened in downtown Huntsville on the corner of CIinton Ave. and Washington St., with about 1,800 square feet and two main menu items: coffee and acai bowls.

Christy Wimberly, who owns and operates one of Madison County’s most well known coffee joints, Honest Coffee Roasters

The immediate popularity of the downtown Huntsville coffee spot led to quick expansion of the space and the menu. In October 2017 Wimberly nearly doubled the size of her shop with an additional 1,700 square feet by taking over the suite next door. She expanded the menu also by collaborating with local restaurants including Mason Dixon Bakery, Piper & Leaf Tea Co., Little Dipper Bakery and Canadian Bakin, to name a few.

“In 2017, there was not much of a presence of food downtown so we created a food menu that has grown over time based on need and demand, and we’ve always kept it fluid,” Wimberly said. “We watch what sells well, and we’ve got the freedom to try new things and put new things on the menu. Lunch has really grown over the years as people started to think of us as an easy place to grab a quick panini or a simple lunch if you don’t have time for a sit down lunch.”

Wimberly contributes the success and growth of Honest Coffee Roasters to the welcoming vibe that she and her team have worked deliberately to create.

“I’m a people person. I love people. And I instill that in my team, that we’re not just a restaurant, and people have a choice on where they can go,” Wimberly shared. “I’ve watched our Google reviews over the years, and we always get really nice reviews on our coffee and we get nice reviews on our food but, we always get outstanding reviews on our service. ‘The people are so friendly, they were so nice, they were so helpful,’ and I think people just like somewhere they can go that it’s fun and friendly.

“We’re not your typical coffee shop that’s quiet and subdued. You never know if it’ll be loud, if it’ll be rowdy. I think Huntsville came in very excited for us to be here, and we just kind of match the energy.”

Her success in downtown Huntsville led her to open a second Honest Coffee Roasters location in October 2022 in downtown Madison.

“So much of our growth has been relational that I was hesitant at first because I live in Huntsville and so many of the partnerships happen at (the grocery store) or in conversations at the gym, and I don’t live in Madison. So we looked at it and finally just decided to take a risk, and I’m so glad we did.”

So glad in fact that Wimberly opened an original concept restaurant next door to the Madison coffee location, the Chillabay Dessert Bar. It’s an ice cream shop specializing in milkshakes, ice cream floats, and homemade ice cream sandwiches featuring cookies from Little Dipper Bakery.

One of the things Wimberly said she is most proud of is providing the community with a consistent Honest Coffee Roasters experience, every cup, every day.

“Consistency is what makes you successful,” Wimberley explained. “We try to pay attention to the details. We try to make sure that your coffee is perfectly made, and we try to make sure that your food is made perfect. We want to get it to you quickly, and we want to give it to you with a smile, and we want to do that over and over and over. So if you come in on a Tuesday and Haley’s here you get the same experience you have if you come in on Thursday and Lily’s here.”

The most challenging part of operating three restaurants – two of which have been open less than one year – is balancing her time between each establishment and her relationship with each of her store managers.

“I feel like I’ve got three kids right now. I’ve got a firstborn that gets firstborn attention, which is Caleb Setzer in Huntsville. And then I’ve got a middle child, which is Marisa Gossage in Madison. She is independent and she is phenomenal, and I feel like she doesn’t get as much time just because she’s the forgotten middle child. Then Chillabay is the baby. I’ve got a first time manager Gabriella Shideler there who is phenomenal and is a sponge for business knowledge. I feel like I end up spending more time with my oldest and my youngest and my middle child is just doing very, very well on her own.”

Wimberly’s husband, Corey Wimberly, came to work for her in 2022. He’s helped take the business to the next level, adding systems that manage inventory and pricing, and taking over the books.

“That has been one of the most efficient things we have done,” Wimberly said about some of the systems Corey initialized. “There are some things on my menu that I never would have thought would be priced where they are, but I know the margins, and I know what I’m paying for the raw products. The menu builder gives me that confidence that I’m not overcharging or undercharging.

“He’s taken a lot of the paperwork away from me and given me back time to talk to my customers, talk to my team, and do the people part that I love.”

For more information or to check out the seasonal menu at Honest, please visit www.honesthsv.coffee.