Counter Culture Coffee facts for kids
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| Industry | Retail coffee |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Brett Smith and Fred Houk |
| Headquarters | Durham, North Carolina |
| Products | Coffee beans, Coffee drinks, Educational programs |
Counter Culture Coffee is a company that roasts and sells coffee. It started in Durham, North Carolina in 1995. They have special training centers in many cities across the United States. These cities include Asheville, North Carolina, Atlanta, Boston, Charleston, South Carolina, Chicago, Durham, North Carolina, Emeryville, California, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C..
These training centers are places where people can learn all about coffee. They teach how to make and serve coffee. Anyone interested in coffee can visit these centers, not just people who sell Counter Culture Coffee. They also host fun events like cooking shows with guest chefs and special workshops.
Counter Culture Coffee buys most of its coffee from small farms. They pay good prices for these coffee beans. This makes them a "boutique" coffee roaster. This means they get their coffee from many different small farms and groups of farmers, instead of just one very large farm.
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The Story of Counter Culture Coffee
Counter Culture Coffee began roasting coffee in Durham in 1995. Two friends, Brett Smith and Fred Houk, started the company. Their first goal was to create special coffee blends for restaurants in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They sold their very first coffee to Pop's Restaurant in Durham in 1995.
Over time, the company grew and started selling coffee all along the East Coast. They also began offering more than just coffee beans. They started selling different types of coffee that change with the seasons. They also created learning programs about how to grow coffee in a good way and how to make the best coffee drinks.
Caring for the Planet: Sustainability
Counter Culture Coffee works directly with the people who grow their coffee. These are often skilled farmers and artisans. This close partnership helps them follow a "sustainable coffee" plan. This means they work with farms that are careful about the environment. They also make sure the farmers are treated fairly.
In 2008, they created their own special program called "Counter Culture Direct Trade Certification." This program sets rules for how they buy coffee. It makes sure the coffee is grown in a way that helps the environment. It also checks that the coffee is good quality and that farmers get a fair price.
They have other programs too, like SEEDS. SEEDS stands for "Sustaining Educational and Environmental Development at a Source." This program helps support education and good farming practices where the coffee comes from. They also use a "Sustainability Scorecard." This helps them measure how well they are doing at making their coffee supply chain more sustainable.
Learning About Coffee: Education
Counter Culture Coffee offers many ways to learn about coffee. They have programs for their customers, employees, and business partners. These programs teach about how coffee is made, where it comes from, and its history.
Some of their professional courses include:
- Brewing Science: Learning the science behind making coffee.
- Barista Fundamentals: Basic skills for making coffee drinks.
- Coffee Origins: Where different types of coffee come from.
- Cupping Fundamentals: How to taste and evaluate coffee.
- Brewing: Technique & Troubleshooting: Tips for making great coffee and fixing problems.
They also have free public events called "Tastings at Ten" every Friday morning. Coffee lovers can also take "homebrew labs" for a fee. These classes teach you how to make amazing coffee at home. All these learning programs are offered at their thirteen training centers across the country.
Where Counter Culture Coffee is Made
Counter Culture Coffee roasts its beans in two main places. One is in Durham, North Carolina, which is also where the company's main office is located. The other roasting facility is in Emeryville, California.
See also
- Blue Bottle Coffee
- Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters
- Revelator Coffee
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters
- List of coffeehouse chains
- List of coffee companies
