1MC - Where Coffee Becomes Community

In Rabun County, where Clayton, GA sits among forests, lakes, hikers, agriculture, and tourism, a quiet momentum is gathering over coffee. Each week at Bridge Creek Inn, 1 Million Cups (1MC) Northeast Georgia brings together entrepreneurs, dreamers, business owners, students, newcomers, and longtime residents who may not otherwise meet.

For Bez, lead organizer of the chapter, the work begins with a simple belief: people with ideas need a place to find other people with ideas. They need encouragement, connection, and a room where they realize they are not alone.

THE SPARK

The idea began at the Clayton Rotary Club, where Boyd Stough and Dianna Shaver were discussing a pitch-style concept, something like a Shark Tank, when Bez recognized a familiar model. He had participated in 1 Million Cups in California; Boyd and Dianna had experience with the program in Charleston, South Carolina. Curiosity became a shared vision for Rabun County.

Boyd Stough submitted a chapter application to 1 Million Cups (1MC) HQ in Kansas City. Launching required certification, four organizers, and a venue. Once the chapter began, the deeper need became clear. Rabun County had pieces of an entrepreneurial ecosystem - tourism, agribusiness, local talent, creativity, and community pride - but it needed a consistent place for people to gather.

CONNECTION THAT BUILDS BUSINESS

That room has become the chapter’s greatest asset. The meetings are built around authentic connection, not transactional networking. People introduce themselves, hear presentations, ask questions, drink coffee, and often stay long after the formal meeting ends. In those conversations, trust forms, ideas find partners, and business gets done.

Bez points to Jose, owner of Everything Drywall, who earned business through the group and was publicly recommended by another participant.

For Bez, that kind of story is not unusual. “The type of people we have in our chapter are quite amazing,” he says.

A RURAL ECOSYSTEM VISION

Rabun County’s future depends on connecting conversations to broader opportunity. Its Appalachian Trail culture, waterfalls, restaurants, agriculture, tourism, lakes, and creative energy position it for growth in food, hospitality, agribusiness, technology, and investment. Still, growth must respect the place. Limited land, steep terrain, housing affordability, and business space will require responsible, eco-friendly solutions.

In five years, Bez hopes to see a clearer roadmap connecting local resources, tourism leaders, cities, investors, entrepreneurs, and support organizations. For 1 Million Cups (1MC) Northeast Georgia, success would mean 100 people gathering every Wednesday, stronger youth entrepreneurship, more rural chapters across Georgia, and a business community where ideas become local jobs and prosperity.

START, THEN BUILD

Bez Rengifo, Lead Organizer

Bez’s leadership philosophy is rooted in gratitude and service. He comes from a family of community builders, and leading a volunteer organization has taught him to appreciate what people can give. His advice to every entrepreneur is simple: start. It may be messy. It may take years. But progress compounds. “Community builds accountability,” Bez says. “Accountability builds urgency. Urgency builds action.”

In Rabun County, that action is already visible every week over coffee: in the contractor who finds a client, the newcomer who finds community, the student who brings a business idea, and the dreamer who finally says it out loud. If Bez’s and the other Organizer’s vision comes true, 1 Million Cups (1MC) Northeast Georgia will help Rabun County become a thriving, eco-friendly startup community - “the crown jewel of the state of

Georgia.”