It's kinda funny how small the world is, because a couple years back, I remember hearing from a friend about this cool AF coffee company that was turning the coffee shop experience on its head by serving coffee out of a shipping container in LA's Arts District. Turns out, that coffee company was helmed by Casey Goch. She's the force behind Shreebs Coffee, a coffee brand for the curious which was also one of our amazing sponsors of Content Creation Lab™. I finally met Casey IRL at an event for female entrepreneurs over the summer. After chatting with her and hearing her story, I knew I had to share Shreebs with, well...everyone.
I recently sat down with Casey over Shreebs Coffee (duh) to chat about why coffee fuels community, her new brick and mortar location, and much more.
The first question I usually ask interviewees is what their favorite coffee shop is - obviously no need for that here, but I do wonder before Shreebs, was there a particular coffee shop you’d frequent?
There sure was! I’d say a lot of my initial coffee love and knowledge came from hanging out at the Coffee Conservatory in Culver City. AJ, the owner, has been in the game for a long time and roasts everything on site. I still stop by whenever I’m in the neighborhood.
Coffee Conservatory. Photo via Erin Spens
What piqued your interest in coffee?
The first thing I fell in love with was the connection to community and power to bring people together that coffee has. Not having a genuine sense of community when I first moved to LA and finding it at the local coffee shop was a game changer for me. My time spent there filled me up and I began digging deeper to learn more.
What were the most important elements for you to have when it came to establishing your own coffee brand?
My philosophy has always been to focus on building community, customer experience and creative collaboration.
When it came to our coffee, I felt it was important to surround ourselves with like-minded partners who care about good practices and sustainability. It was also our goal to be involved in the supply chain as much as possible and to eventually have our own roasts which we now have!
For aesthetics, most coffee brands at the time felt very serious and industrial to me. I wanted to offer a different point of view, something less intimidating, with a spark of femininity.
Photo by STRUKTR's Marni Epstein-Mervis
Tell me about your experience as an extended pop-up in the Arts District. What was it like working out of a shipping container?
The Arts District was a very special place where we were immediately adopted into an amazing community of people. I think at the time the Arts District was going through a lot of development changes so a grassroots business was somewhat comforting to people.
Operating out of a shipping container was a bit like “shop camping” as we liked to call it. We didn’t have the luxuries of water, AC, high-end equipment, storage, or much space at all. We were forced to get creative and be organized to make things work.
Because of the space’s limitations and that the pop-up lasted for over a year, it was an amazing opportunity to learn the ropes of running a café. Most importantly, once it ended, it made me realize how much Shreebs meant to me and I knew it was time to open up a real brick and mortar shop.
Former Shreebs shipping container pop-up. Photo via Shreebs Coffee
What can we expect to see in your forthcoming space in Echo Park?
Shreebs Echo Park will be a small grab and go neighborhood shop with plenty of outside seating. The space is protected from the bustle of busy Glendale Blvd, situated in a courtyard type area. We’ll have multiple roasts on pour over bar as well as drip coffee, cold brew, nitro cold brew/kombucha on tap and a large tea menu. We’ll have local pastries and other snacks too. There is plenty of parking and Modo Yoga is right next-door!
Shipping container vibes at the new Shreebs Echo Park. Photo via Shreebs Coffee
Shreebs has a very distinctive color palette and aesthetic. Can you tell us about it?
I’ve always been inspired by Mexican architect, Luis Barragan and his use of light, color, and groundbreaking architecture. I’ve let those principles guide the aesthetic of the brand since day one. I also wanted things to feel welcoming and uncomplicated; to disrupt the general understanding of what a coffee brand should feel like.
Is coffee an art?
If all components in the coffee chain i.e. farming, processing, roasting, and brewing, are done mindfully, I’d say coffee is most certainly a work of art.
What does it mean to you to have a permanent physical location? How will that affect being part of a community?
It means a lot. Sometimes I get caught up in the minutia of it all but looking back to my yard where this all began, I’m feeling super proud of how far Shreebs has come and excited to grow our community.