It's International Coffee Day, and we can’t help feeling a little bit nostalgic.
A little over a decade ago, Buddy Brew Coffee was a humble roasting operation in a tiny storefront on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa. It was little more than a hobby at the time, borne out of a passion to find a better cup of coffee. When people started lining up outside our door, eager to taste the coffee they could smell roasting as they walked to work, we realized something special was happening.
We put out a couple of insulated airpots and started offering a “bottomless” cup of coffee for a dollar. We didn’t have a cash register, so we placed a tin coffee can on the counter to collect payment. We spent a lot of time roasting coffee, drinking coffee, and of course chatting with people about coffee. What better way to connect and make new friends?
It was at that time we chose our company motto and mission, “Brew Good. Do Good.” We saw a huge wage gap in the coffee industry, and we committed ourselves to sourcing only through direct relationships with farmers, and paying highly equitable prices so farmers could thrive. We pledged to “do coffee differently,” and that remains our pledge to this day.
A decade has gone by in a blink, and so much has changed. We have eight cafes, a roastery and cold brew operation, and wholesale distribution in grocery stores coast to coast, including Sprouts, The Fresh Market and Winn-Dixie. We’ve come a long way. But our focus is exactly the same. We are still Brewing Good and Doing Good by investing in the livelihoods of coffee farmers, who nurture, tend and harvest their crops so that we may enjoy this daily ritual we hold dear.
On International Coffee Day, and every day, we want to express our appreciation to all who make our work possible, but especially the farmers, whose dedication to their craft fills our hearts, and cups, with joy.
Follow us on social media @buddybrewcoffee.
Shop our coffees at buddybrew.com.
Photo of coffee farmer Emilienne courtesy of Long Miles Coffee
