Mike Twigg doesn’t look much like Ringo Starr, but for several decades, the Manchester, England native impersonated the Beatles drummer in tribute shows in the United States and abroad.
Twigg landed in the U.S. in 1990, performing with Anita Bryant, the singer and former beauty queen who had a flourishing music career in the 1960s and ’70s in Branson, Missouri. He later joined Disney Cruise Line when it first came out with a cruise ship of its own in 1998.
“I spent a year with Disney and then got off the ship in Florida after my contract,” Twigg said. “I’d always wanted to live in Florida, and I ended up getting a gig with Legends in Concert, which is impersonators.”
That led to a job at Epcot as Ringo, which morphed into other Beatles tribute jobs, such as BeatleMania. But deep down, Twigg and his wife Emelie, a special education teacher, had always wanted to own their own business.
“Several years ago, we went to a franchise business convention in Cobb County … and met this guy who had these coffee machines — it was basically bean to cup,” said Twigg. “You’d grind the beans and make a cappuccino. And I was like, ‘Hey, this is pretty good coffee.’”
Transition to the coffee business
The Twiggs didn’t want to just sell coffee; they wanted to stand out by using a local roaster.
“I would try to place a machine [in an office] and tell them ‘I’m not just buying coffee from wherever,’” he recalled.
The roaster he found introduced him to the nitro business, which involves adding nitrogen gas to tea, coffee, wine or beer. This creates small, delicate microbubbles that the drinker experiences as a thick and creamy texture and visualizes as a foamy head, like you’d find on a traditional beer.
“I put some kegerators in offices like VMware and Salesforce and other corporate offices, and I’m brewing the coffee, the nitro for them,” Twigg said. “I service [the machines] and make a little bit of money while other things are taking off.”
Even though he was more into the coffee than the nitro kegerators, the bubbly stuff was a hit. “I ended up doing better with that than I did with just the coffee machines,” he said. “So I had to keep buying more and more kegerators, and then boom! COVID hit.”
All of the offices that had coffee and/or nitro closed down.
“Everybody still wanted the coffee, so I converted a van to a [coffee truck],” Twigg said. “I had a tap wall at the back and served iced coffee and nitro iced lattes at apartment complexes.”
He gradually began getting requests to show up at events. Soon, the patrons were asking if he had a brick-and-mortar location.
The leasing manager near a bustling apartment complex suggested Twigg look at a 600-square-foot space that had been empty for some time.
“I peered in, and there was nothing. It was just empty. And I thought maybe that might work,” he said. “We built the place out. We built it from nothing to a successful business, and we sold it in 2023.”
‘I believe in yesterday’
As time passed, the Twiggs began to miss the coffee business and thought they could make lightning strike again.
They opened MET BrewMasters in late 2024. Although their fare hasn’t changed, the coffee shop is facing slow growth due to lack of signage and unforeseen costs that were required to pass the Gwinnett County health inspection.
The shop currently offers local-roasted coffee (including signature and Beatles-themed drinks) and a variety of homemade baked goods, with plans to introduce tea experiences and community events.
The décor is straight Beatles kitsch with album covers on the walls, Mike’s Ringo outfit and drum set from his BeatleMania days and lots of memorabilia throughout.
The Twiggs aim to increase visibility through local partnerships, social media and community engagement.
The health department costs took all our reserve funds, so we’re relying on just word of mouth,” said Twigg. “We’ve had a number of NextDoor groups give us good reviews.”
Building up the business
MET BrewMasters is at the end of a strip mall next to a Thai restaurant. There’s really no foot traffic, and the trees in front of the storefronts obscure the signage outside. The only way to know caffeinated drinks are offered is by way of a ‘coffee’ reference on the Medlock Place sign.
Things are slowly picking up, however.
“Just yesterday somebody came in who lives just around the corner. They said they’d driven past here 12 times and finally decided to stop,” he said.
Twigg has also had a book club meet in the backroom that he said is available for groups. He’s even willing to provide special catering with advanced notice.
“My wife, Emelie, is from the Philippines. She makes some Filipino desserts, and they’re really good, and it’s something a little unique,” he said, adding that she makes the baked goods — muffins, coffee cake, cookies — that are currently on the menu as well.
Creating experiences
Since the Norcross/Peachtree Corners area diners are really into experiences, Twigg said he’s thinking about bringing in an English tea experience — China cups and saucers, big hats and all.
“Once we get the morning traffic, we can think about staying open until 8 p.m. Right now, we’re closing at four o’clock,” he said. “It’s okay now, but I’d like to hire somebody else to come on, so I don’t have to be here all the time. I’d like to get out and do what I need to do to promote the business.”
Twigg said another thing he’s tried are trivia nights.
“The first two were not that great. But then the third one was packed. Thirty or so people were here,” he said.
Despite the obstacles they’ve faced, Twigg isn’t throwing in the towel just yet. He believes that “With a Little Help From My Friends” customers will “Come Together” and take the (not-so) “Long and Winding Road’ to his shop.
MET BrewMasters
5400 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Norcross
770-701-0223; metbrewmasters.com
