Compass Coffee is an American coffee roaster based in Washington, D.C.[2] It was founded in 2014 and operates in Washington, D.C., and Virginia.[3][4][5] As of June 2024[update], the company has 18 stores.[6]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Coffee roaster |
| Founded | July 2014 Shaw, Washington, D.C., United States |
| Founder | Michael Haft |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C., United States |
Number of employees | 190[1] (2020) |
| Website | Official website |
History
edit
The company was founded by Michael Haft in 2014.[7] Following the Shaw neighborhood store, a second store was opened in the same neighborhood in September 2015.[8] Over the next few years, other stores were opened in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Virginia.[9][10] The first drive-through store was opened in October 2022.[11]
On October 20, 2017, Compass Coffee founder Michael Haft received the District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce's Community Impact Award at the 2017 Chamber's Choice Gala.[12] On March 31, 2017, Compass Coffee was featured in DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's State of the District Address for jump-starting the Made in DC movement and creating jobs in DC.[13]
Partnerships
editCompass Coffee has partnered with Dog Tag Bakery, which offers a vocational program teaching disabled military veterans and their caregivers entrepreneurship skills to launch businesses.[14] Compass supplies the bakery with coffee, and Michael Haft serves as a guest speaker with each cohort.[15][16] Compass has also formed a partnership with The Corp at Georgetown University, which is a student-run organization that teaches students management and leadership skills through operating businesses on campus.[17] Compass has been supplying The Corp since 2015.[17]
The Washington Post and Compass Coffee collaborated on "The Post Roast", a coffee blend celebrating The 7, the Post's newsletter and podcast, reaching over a million subscribers and being recognized as Apple's top series of 2022.[18]
Impact of COVID-19
editIn March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Compass laid off 150 of its 189 employees.[19] The remaining 39 staff members had their pay cut to $15 per hour, and 20 of them were tasked with working on the construction of a new roasting facility. The company also eliminated the option for customers to tip when paying by credit card, which decreased worker wages. Compass received over $9.9 million in government assistance during this time.[20][21]
Controversies
editIn May 2024, workers at seven Compass locations announced their intent to unionize with Workers United.[6] In June 2024, Compass Coffee United accused the company of hiring 124 additional people, including Liz Brown, a lobbyist for Uber, and Cullen Gilchrist, the CEO and co-founder of Union Kitchen, and of manipulating schedules retroactively to make it appear as though the newly hired employees were eligible to vote in the union election.[6] In response, US Senator Bernie Sanders publicly criticized the company on X (formerly Twitter), labeling the company's actions "totally absurd & disgusting" and calling on the company to "end its union busting."[6][22]
References
edit- ^ Thibodeau, Patrick (May 19, 2020). "Compass Coffee's post-pandemic plan starts with bulk hiring | TechTarget". HR Software. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Bryman, Howard (September 24, 2020). "Compass Coffee Offering Pay to Staff Volunteering at Polling Places". Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Judkis, Maura (September 17, 2014). "From the Ground Up: Legacy and legwork". The Washington Post.
- ^ Ravindranath, Mohana (December 28, 2014). "At Compass Coffee, data is the secret ingredient". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Compass Coffee". compasscoffee.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Sainato, Michael (June 24, 2024). "DC coffee chain lists CEOs and Uber lobbyist as baristas to halt union drive". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ Deutch, Gabby (March 17, 2021). "The Jewish Marine behind a proud D.C. coffee institution". Jewish Insider. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ Bethune, Meredith (November 3, 2015). "Compass Coffee's Second Location Is Now Open". Eater DC.
- ^ Carman, Tim (April 5, 2017). "Starbucks is all over downtown Washington. These coffee shops are much better". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Compass Coffee Set to Open New Location in Ballston Next Month". ARLnow.com - Arlington, Va. Local News. January 22, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ "Compass Coffee's first drive-thru location is now open on Langston Blvd | ARLnow.com". ARLnow.com. October 27, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ "DC Chamber Recognizes Compass Coffee". MidCity DC News. November 10, 2017.
- ^ "Mayor Bowser's 2017 State of the District Address | mayormb". mayor.dc.gov. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ Jenkins, Mark (January 14, 2015). "D.C.'s Dog Tag Bakery helps disabled veterans learn to run a business". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Muto, Jordan (April 15, 2018). "This bakery is changing the lives of military veterans in a unique way". TODAY.com. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Veterans Learn Business Skills at DC's Dog Tag Bakery". Hiring Our Heroes. March 13, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Smith, Daniel (January 30, 2015). "Corp Rolls Out New Coffee". The Hoya. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "The Washington Post and Compass Coffee brew "The Post Roast"". Capitol Communicator. September 19, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Elliot C.; Lefrak, Mikaela (March 17, 2020). "Coronavirus Is Causing Industry-Wide Layoffs In D.C., Hitting Service Workers Particularly Hard". DCist. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ Kurzius, Rachel (November 7, 2021). "Here's What Happened After Compass Coffee Eliminated Tips". WAMU. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ Berg, Nate (July 9, 2021). "Why this coffee shop turned its baristas into construction workers during COVID-19". Fast Company. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Bernie Sanders [@BernieSanders] (June 22, 2024). "Claiming that a lobbyist from Uber & CEOs from other companies are workers in order to rig a union election is totally absurd & disgusting. I strongly support Compass Workers and call on Compass Coffee DC to respect the rights of their workers to organize & end its union busting" (Tweet). Retrieved June 24, 2024 – via Twitter.