Illumine Coffee Company is a craft coffee roaster with two locations in Indianapolis. One right off of Westfield Road in Nora.
The shop was opened in 2020 by Kent Phillips with his wife Anna. The two enjoyed coffee long before even starting Illumine.
“I coffee roasted at home as a hobby for 15 or 20 years,” Phillips said. “My wife and I, when we travel, we always visit independent coffee shops. We love the atmosphere and the experience. We always wanted to do something in hospitality, like a coffee shop or a cafe or a wine bar or something like that.”
The catalyst for starting the business was during the COVID-19 pandemic. While, at the time he was working on church staff, Phillips used the global interruption to reevaluate his passions.
“When COVID hit we were reminded how important community is for not only us, but for people, community in general,” Phillips said. “At the end of 2020, I bought a small commercial roaster and started roasting, and then we started selling coffee at farmers markets, then opened this cafe.”
While the technical focus of the shop is specialty coffee, emphasizing craft and high-quality imports, Phillips primary objective is social. He cited the U.S. Surgeon General’s statement regarding the “loneliness epidemic” as a guiding influence.
“What we sought out to do was to use something as approachable and everyday as coffee to create spaces and build relationships where people can feel known, valued and seen,” Phillips said.
Phillips’ aims for more than just selling coffee.
“I think what sets us apart is that we try to focus on people first, genuinely,” Phillips said. “Not people first because that leads to profit, but because people are important and have as much to offer us as a business as we have to them.”
The shop’s location, both in downtown Indy and in Nora were chosen strategically. The Nora location brings in a variety of different people.
“This location, close to North Central, close to the apartments on 86th Street was a good find,” Phillips said. “Nora is what I would call a coffee desert. There were no other independent coffee shops when we started. Being in Nora we have high school students sitting here next to our regulars and like 80, 90 year old guys who come in every afternoon and get the coffee.”
While Phillips has started a successful company, he didn’t have a business background.
“I have a degree in theater and a degree in ministry,” Phillips said. “ I think people are always surprised by how many random stops I’ve had along the way. I worked in an insurance office, and worked at a church. Managed restaurants, worked in retail, worked as an actor. And so none of what we’re doing now makes sense on paper.”
However, Phillips’ time in ministry and faith impacts his approach to his business. Specifically, in not being open on Sundays.
“It’s for the Sabbath,” Phillips said. “From the beginning it was like, if we don’t mark a day, the shop is closed then we’ll never rest and turn it off. And it’s been neat to see our crew come from various backgrounds, either faith backgrounds or not, but they all enjoy having a day where they can count on having a day of rest.”
Looking forward, Phillips is searching to move Illumine’s downtown location.
“We went with a smaller space because it’s cheaper downtown, and we’re thinking it would be good just for recognition, being close to events and all this stuff downtown,” Phillips said. “But what I think we can uniquely offer as a business is space for people to connect. And so, we’re looking for something with more, a little more space, and see if we need to.”
Overall the last three years have been fruitful for Phillips.
“We’re so grateful for the support and investment from the community,” Phillips said. “People who are just willing to share their lives with us as a business and the team. It is and has been a tremendous blessing to see how the spark of an idea has become reality and that people are engaging with it and benefiting from it.”
