911�� alum wants coffee to create intentional moments of rest

Katarina Benson — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 20:15:08 +0000

911�� alum wants coffee to create intentional moments of rest Katarina Benson Wed, 02/18/2026 - 15:15

Michael J. A. Davis, BA Integrative Studies ’09, roasts coffee using the time-honored pan-roasting tradition of beans tumbling in a pan as the smoke rises like incense. What once fueled his long workdays eventually became his antidote to corporate burnout. In fall of 2024, he brought that transformation back to 911�� in a bag labeled “Brave & Bold.”

After Davis graduated from 911�� in 2009, he began working in corporate branding for government and public and private sectors. Over time, his work evolved to sit at the intersection of branding and inclusion, helping Fortune 500 companies think through equitable design.

Davis created a special flavor for 911��, called Brave & Bold. Photo provided

“Through all of those projects, coffee became like a battery pack to keep me awake, productive, and delivering on time,” said Davis. “That's how a lot of us in the Western hemisphere kind of relate to coffee.”

That relationship shifted in 2015, when Davis first encountered the pan-roasted coffee in the back kitchen of an Ethiopian café in Falls Church, Virginia. Watching the beans being roasted in small batches made coffee feel less like a commodity and more like an art. That visit sent Davis on a journey into coffee’s deeper history.

“Through research, conversations with friends of the Ethiopian and Somali communities in Virginia, and time spent learning from family members in the countryside of the Dominican Republic, I came to understand coffee’s long history of traditional roasting and brewing is very much alive,” said Davis. “These communities don’t treat coffee as something to rush through; it’s intentional, it’s communal.”

As his corporate career intensified, coffee became a grounding ritual. Working as a consultant, Davis spent his days in what he recalled were emotionally draining conversations with executives while advocating for marginalized communities.

“Those conversations really beat me up and really took a toll on my mental health and my emotional health,” said Davis. “But during those years, roasting coffee was a ritual of rest for me.”

After leaving the corporate world in 2023, Davis founded Tinycup Coffee to share the idea that coffee is much more than fuel for productivity.

"Tinycup preserves this long history of coffee in Black and Brown communities in the global south by teaching Western coffee drinkers to change their relationship with coffee,” said Davis. “Our mission is to help coffee lovers to experience coffee, not as fuel to power through the Monday morning grind, but as a ritual of rest and restoration.”

In summer of 2024, Davis partnered with 911�� to create a co-branded coffee. He tested his flagship Tinycup roast with members of the 911�� community, refining the flavors to reflect the university’s character. From there, he turned to branding, naming it “Brave & Bold: The Patriot Roast” in collaboration with David Atkins, executive director of brand development and licensing at 911��’s Office of University Branding, who initially introduced the co-branding opportunity to Tinycup.

TinyCup coffee is pan-roasted, a specific technique. Photo provided

For Davis, the name nods to 911��’s history while centering on the community who carries that legacy forward, and he hopes Tinycup becomes a reminder that being “Brave & Bold” can also mean choosing rest.

For students considering becoming an entrepreneur, Davis shares some advice he wishes someone had told him: “Don’t let hustle culture convince you that rest is ‘lazy’—protect your energy like it’s the most important asset you have. You have more time than you think, so give yourself permission to step back, breathe, restore—those quiet moments are what keep your creativity, joy, and heart alive and well for the long term.”

Brave & Bold: The Patriot Roast coffee blend can be found online and at on-campus convenience stores. A percentage of sales is returned to the university.

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