Honeybee coffee shop expanding with West Knoxvill beer brewery

Norris Hill is an avid consumer of Knoxville craft beer, not a creator.

But since starting Honeybee Coffee in 2017, he has envisioned a brewery as part of his business model. He just needed to find the right brewer.

Enter veteran home-brewer Steve Dedman who showed up unannounced at Hill’s South Knoxville coffee shop in February 2020 to introduce himself and his vision.

“Basically, we had an entity in search of a brewery and a brewery in search of an entity,” Dedman told Knox News. “And we just got together, and it worked out really well.”

Hill is re-branding the business as Honeybee Coffee & Beer, and customers will get original craft beverages of both varieties across its multiple locations. 

Dedman, who will serve as head brewer, will work out of Honeybee’s Kingston Pike location in the Lovell neighborhood of West Knoxville. Roasting will move to the Oakwood neighborhood in North Knoxville. 

The North Knoxville roastery, located at 2150 N. Central St. at the Knox Glass building, could also include a coffee shop and retail space with a sensory lab and slow bar offering coffee cocktails.

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