Have you ever noticed the slightly unusual formal company name behind YES PLZ? Longtime customers and our partners might have spotted it: Car-Parts, Bottles, and Cutlery LLC. It’s a bit of a mouthful, and definitely not your typical coffee company name. There’s a fun story behind it, and it all started back in 2018 when we were brewing up our plan to rescue kitchens from mediocre coffee. At the time, I figured the legal name wasn’t a huge deal, so why not have some fun?
The name itself is inspired by a Björk lyric – we’ll dive into that in a moment – but the idea to actually use it as a company name was sparked by a tweet from the brilliant artist behind Diesel Sweeties webcomics, rstevens.
Being a dedicated Björk fan for years, this tweet resonated with my sense of humor. The thought of using “Car-Parts, Bottles, and Cutlery” as a corporate entity name just struck me as genius. It was quirky, memorable, and definitely different.
For those who aren’t as familiar with Björk’s work, the lyric comes from the track Hyperballad from her iconic second solo album, Post. The music video, directed by Michel Gondry, is a visually stunning and somewhat surreal piece featuring Björk in a dreamlike state surrounded by flashing lights as she sings.
And for fellow Björk enthusiasts, I highly recommend checking out her recent podcast series, Sonic Symbolism. In it, she and her friends explore her diverse musical catalog in fascinating detail. In essence, Hyperballad is about the act of throwing car parts off a cliff as a way to release frustration or to conceal one’s aggressive side from a loved one. What any of this has to do with coffee? Well, that’s open to interpretation! Perhaps comedian Chris Fleming, in his portrayal of Björk’s landlord, can shed some light on the matter:
@chrisflemingflemingBjörk taunting her landlord #bottles #carparts #cutlery
Now, while I found the whole “car-parts, bottles, and cutlery” concept amusing, my co-founder Sumi wasn’t quite as thrilled. Firstly, she’s not a Björk fan (a fact I still find hard to believe!). Secondly, it turns out that having a long and somewhat bizarre company name, complete with Oxford commas, an ampersand, and a hyphen, that often needs to be abbreviated, is actually quite inconvenient. We’ve ended up with a spreadsheet just to track all the slight variations that crop up when dealing with different systems and paperwork. What started as a lighthearted joke has become a bit of an accounting headache. Navigating the world of business with a name like car hyphen parts com certainly adds a layer of complexity!
However, today we’re turning that playful, albeit complicated, company name into something tangible and cool. I’m excited to introduce our latest limited-edition YES PLZ swag: the car-parts hoodie! Late one night, I designed a logo that felt like it belonged on streetwear, and it turns out it looks fantastic embroidered on a high-quality Cotton Heritage hoodie.
On the very first day I wore my car-parts hoodie out, I received compliments from multiple strangers! Were they Björk fans in disguise, or did they simply have excellent taste? For all of you YES PLZ aficionados who are now in on the joke, this essential piece of fashion is available in our merch shop right now. Keep in mind that these hoodies have a slimmer fit, so we recommend going a size up when you order yours.
Take my lead and solve all your wardrobe dilemmas by making this your everyday staple until it feels like a second skin! Grab your car-parts hoodie today and wear a piece of our quirky story.
