East Coast transplants will rejoice to learn that popular coffee roasters, Counter Culture Coffee, has unveiled a brand new training center and roastery in Emeryville. This is the first West Coast outpost for the company, which is based out of Durham, North Carolina, designed to expedite shipping to customers and ensuring freshly roasted beans for all— all beans are roasted to order and shipped the next day.
The sleek, minimalist space is part training center and part roasting and shipping facility— founder and President Brett Smith envisions it as a jumping off point for the company, allowing them easy access to markets up and down the West Coast, including the opening of a training center in L.A.'s Silverlake neighborhood in winter of 2015. (That's right, coffee-obsessed San Francisco snagged it first.) The company's dedication to training is a large part of the expansion as well, ensuring that baristas will be intimately acquainted with all aspects of properly preparing and tasting coffee. Taking it one step further, Counter Culture also has a special "Tech Services" department that is responsible for helping keep the brewing machinery of their partners calibrated, and in tip-top shape.
While the company does not have stand-alone cafés or retail spaces, caffeine-craving fans can find Counter Culture beans at restaurants, coffee shops and specialty markets around the Bay Area, including Coffee Cultures and Modern Coffee in San Francisco and Dean & Deluca in St. Helena. And for those interested in learning the nuances of cupping (a.k.a tasting) coffee, the Emeryville location will hold a weekly cupping at 10 a.m., which is open to the public. The tastings are a tradition at each of their nine training facilities around the country— given the high coffee-nerd levels of the Bay Area, it should be a popular event. "We are thrilled... to welcome both professional baristas and home brewers who are as obsessed with coffee as we are," said Smith.
Stop by for an Open House to celebrate on Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m.- 2p.m., featuring a welcome from Counter Culture President Brett Smith, followed by brewing workshops, roastery tours, limited-edition giveaways and more.