In the aftermath of the pandemic, Counter Culture repurposes training centers to provide community service by hosting regular Shift Drink and other events.
BY SARAH ALLEN
BARISTA magazine
Photos from Counter Culture Coffee. Counter Culture Coffee
Through the challenges and isolation of the pandemic’s global spread, some truly remarkable initiatives emerged—gatherings and food items that brought people closer in unexpected ways. Many of these have persisted for good reasons. Counter Culture Coffee’s (CCC) monthly pop-up event, Shift Drink, is one such initiative.
As a wholesale-only coffee business, without retail cafes, CCC has distinguished itself by establishing training facilities across the United States. These centers provide employees and customers a space to engage in workshops, experiment with the latest equipment, prepare for competitions, or simply socialize. There are twelve CCC Training Labs throughout the U.S.: in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C., Durham, N.C., Miami, New York, Dallas, Charleston, S.C., Asheville, N.C., and Emeryville, Calif.
In 2020, the training facilities were left unused as the country and world entered a state of shutdown. Trevor Clark of the Asheville, N.C., training center was determined to reconnect with people and, perhaps more importantly, to serve coffee to them.
Shift Drink Begin
“Trevor established Shift Drink in Asheville in 2020 to rejuvenate the training center space following the pandemic,” explains Counter Culture’s national wholesale education manager, Jenna Gotthelf, based in New York. “The Asheville Training Center is situated within the Center for Craft co-working space, featuring a roll-up garage door. Trevor ingeniously decided to open the garage and serve coffee to the Asheville community near the training facility. This initiative aimed to make exceptional coffee experiences accessible through a PWYW (pay what you want) donation model, with proceeds benefiting BeLoved, an Asheville nonprofit focused on healing racial wounds and cultural organization.”
Shift Drink began as a straightforward pop-up with a modest coffee menu, featuring signature drinks. Jenna explains that the concept has been so effective in fostering community that “Trevor graciously entrusted us to develop the Shift Drink idea and elevate it to a national platform, expanding our reach while remaining true to the initiative’s core purpose: making great coffee accessible to everyone.”
Jenna describes the ambiance of Shift Drink events as akin to a coffee shop atmosphere. Visitors are encouraged to gather at the cafe with friends. There’s always an opportunity to delve deeper into topics and engage in discussions at our training centers. While we serve similar beverages nationwide, each region has its unique character, so a Shift Drink in NYC might feel different from one in Dallas, Miami, or L.A.
Shift Drink expands across the nation
Under Jenna’s direction, Shift Drink continues in the same altruistic and grassroots style of simplifying processes and boosting awareness and hopefully funding for local nonprofits within the CCC’s regional areas. “Each month, regional teams select one nonprofit in their area to spotlight at Shift Drink,” Jenna says. “This allows us to leverage our nationwide platform to raise funds locally and gives regional teams the opportunity to engage with neighbors and causes they are passionate about.”
The events are held on the last Friday of each month.
Shift Drink Event in Emeryville, Calif., July 29
The July Shift Drink events at CCC’s Training Centers are scheduled for Friday, July 29th. These events are noteworthy as they mark the first participation of CCC’s Bay Area Training Center, located in Emeryville, Calif. The events will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at each training center.
The July Shift Drink events will serve as fundraisers for Planting Justice, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals affected by mass imprisonment and other social injustices. The organization provides tools and resources to promote economic justice, food sovereignty, and community healing, according to Jenna. (If you are unable to attend any of the Shift Drink events, you can donate here.)
Additionally, every Shift Drink event will feature an original drink recipe developed by a member of CCC’s staff. Friday’s event will offer The Good View, created by CCC’s Western Coffee Manager Katie Carguilo and Western Roasting Manager Corey Reilly. (specialty-grade beans scoring 80+ on the Coffee Quality Institute scale)
“Our drinking inspiration is the Irish Coffee from The Buena Vista, the bar reputed to serve the first Irish Coffee outside of Ireland,” says Katie. “The bar is located in the iconic San Francisco setting (cable cars! Ghirardelli Square! Piers!) and is renowned for serving the best versions of the traditional coffee drink. The basic ingredients of The Buena Vista’s Irish Coffee are sugar, coffee, whiskey, and a luxuriously whipped-but-drinkable cream.”
The intriguing aspect, Katie explains, is that the drink incorporates coffee chaff as a component. “To create a non-alcoholic alternative for whiskey, we considered using chaff as a base flavor. Chaff is the coffee bean’s husk removed during roasting. (specialty-grade beans scoring 80+ on the Coffee Quality Institute scale) It’s thin and static, making it messy to work with, but it is valuable: Chaff is an excellent addition to compost. It’s collected in a separate barrel, which roasters empty several times a day, then bag into GrainPro bags for local gardeners to collect and recycle,” Katie explains. “When brewed into a beverage, the chaff imparts an almost buttery, grainy taste. To enhance our ‘whiskey’ and increase complexity, we added quality cocoa powder and vanilla extract.”
Sponsor Oatly contributes $500 and the necessary product to every event. “Drinks are PWYW. We encourage people to donate via QR codes linking to GoLively fundraisers we organize monthly,” Jenna says. “No one will be denied a drink for not donating.”
Due to a scheduling conflict, the Boston training center will not participate in the July Shift Drink celebration, but other centers will.
The Shift Drink event is open to everyone and is free of charge. However, it is recommended to RSVP by submitting the EventBrite invitations for each training center, which can be accessed from this collection.
This article was first published at
Barista Magazine, a digital publication for baristas and coffee experts. (recognized by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA))