Let's Set The Stage:
You are a waitress at a local, sit down restaurant. You serve everything from steaks to chicken fingers. Your hamburgers are the best in town because you use grass feed beef from local farmers. Each patty is hand crafted by the chef with your restaurant's own secret recipe of spices.
NOW, a couple comes in. You sit them down and hand them menus. The lady orders a Gourmet Cheeseburger. She asks if she can make it a double. You reply that is no problem, but it will cost extra. When you tell her the price, she replies,
"You guys are more expensive than McDonalds. How's that?"
Immediately, you begin to explain that your hamburgers are different than McDonald's because of where you get the beef and how it is prepared by hand. Before you could finish your sentence, she retorts:
"I don't care. It all tastes the same."
Absurd right?
Well, that is the same feeling a barista at a local specialty coffee house has when someone says in disgust that you are more expensive than Starbucks. Where is the disconnect? Why do we expect more quality, expensive food from the local sit down restaurant than at a fast food restaurant, but coffee is all treated the same?
I have news for you.
Coffee is NOT all created equal,
as The Coffee Ethic's Clover sign states.
Being a barista at The Coffee Ethic is hard work, constanty trying to improve my skills and learn more about the trade. Each drink is made by hand from scratch. We do not push a button and magically a latte appears. We tamp the espresso with our own strength and pour the steamed milk with our hearts.
All of our coffee is Direct Trade, meaning all the farmer's get a fair price and we have a relationship with them. Our roaster, PT's, gives back to the community the farmer's live in. They don't just take coffee beans; they pass on knowledge and create friendships.
All of the cups at The Coffee Ethic are bio-degardable, and we try to make every effort to be responsible to the environment by recycling and saving our grounds for gardens in the community.
This is why I hate *bucks a little bit. It has it's place in society, don't get me wrong. If you want a quick, sweet, grande, with lots of milk, cheap coffee drink, go to that place. If you want to sit down, be treated as guests, and sip on a delicious cup of coffee slowly, support a local coffee shop like The Coffee Ethic. And remember:
Coffee is NOT All Created Equal!