What's behind our name!

Maybe you never thought about how to pronounce our name before, maybe you knew how to pronounce it but not what it meant, or maybe you avoided saying our name altogether because you didn’t know how!

A question we receive frequently is how to pronounce Catahoula — and what the heck does it even mean?!

It is pronounced cat (like the meowing animal) - a (uh) - houla (hoola). Cat-uh-hoola!

Catahoula Coffee Co. is named for the Catahoula Leopard Dog. The breed originated in the Catahoula Parish located in northeastern Louisiana and are the only dog breed to historically originate in the state. In 1539, when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto landed in Florida and began his expedition through the Southeastern United States, his scribes noted there was only one species of domestic animal in North America: the Native American’s dog, who looked like a wolf but barked like a dog. These native dogs were crossed with the “bloodhounds, mastiffs, and greyhounds” brought by the Spanish explorers. In Northern Louisiana, the Native Americans called these new dogs “Wolf Dogs.” Once the French arrived with their hounds, they were crossbred again, resulting in today’s Catahoula Leopard Dog.

The word Catahoula translates to "Sacred Lake" in the native language of the area, Choctaw. The Catahoula Leopard Dog is a medium-large, short-coated dog, known for its many varied coat and eye colors and patterns (often one eye is blue!). Also called the Catahoula Hog Dog, Catahoula Hound, and Catahoula Hur, they are used as stock dogs, bay dogs, tree dogs, watchdogs, guard dogs, and of course as loyal companions.

They are known to be multi-purpose working dogs that are well-muscled and powerful, but with a sense of agility and endurance. They are serious while working and playful at home, known to be extremely loyal, affectionate, and gentle.

Timber, Catahoula's owner, loves the breed and had a Catahoula named Mocha (the namesake of our Mocha Blend, and our old logo) when he opened up the cafe & roaster...and, well, here we are today!

Our new logo also features the distinctive silhouette of a Catahoula Leopard Hound!