I spent three years of my time as an undergrad working 20-30 hours a week as a barista. I served all kinds of coffee in the heart of Center City and worked alongside my best friends. I made and worked to perfect drinks like oat milk lattes, caramel cold brews, and good ole black coffee too. The only reason I stopped being a barista was because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Philadelphia is Home for me, and throughout the pandemic, I have really tried to only go to essential places. There was a point in time when I would only make coffee at home because I deemed going out for coffee as a non-essential task. Now, nine months later, being an at-home barista doesn’t always cut it. We have learned to social distance appropriately and I am back to occasionally grabbing a coffee on the go, but the only coffee shops that are close by are chains like Dunkin’ and Starbucks.
To put it simply, this is problematic because I am a big believer in supporting small businesses. Especially when it comes to treating yourself or a loved one to a cup of coffee. Here are a few reasons why you should try supporting local or small business coffee shops before you buy from a major corporation.
Local Coffee Shops Add to and Enhance Your Community
Purchasing a coffee from a local business has a greater impact on your community than purchasing from a large chain. For a large corporation, your purchase is just another sale, but for a small business, your decision to make a purchase genuinely impacts their income.
Quality Coffee is a Guarantee When You Shop Local
Coffee independents do it better. Without having to prioritize appealing to mass target audiences, local coffee shops are able to focus on what they love doing. Coffee becomes an art rather than a task.
Local Coffee Shops Value Your Money
When a brand is recognizable, the average person is more likely to purchase from it with no exceptions. Because of this, popular brands charge more for products whenever they can. The public is just not fully aware of the other-- and sometimes better--options out there. However, expensive or well-known does not always equal quality. Local coffee shops will value your money and provide you with quality coffee-based drinks.
This blog post was written by Alexis Levant, Director of Public Relations.