For some, coffee is more than a morning kick.
Every month in Fort Collins, coffee lovers meet at the Bean Cycle, a family-owned coffee shop downtown. Created in 2014, the Coffee Club costs $20 annually, and members get discounted coffee beans, special promotions, community building classes and education about drinks.
The Bean Cycle strives to promote a sense of community, said Victoria Mita, a barista at the Bean Cycle who helps organize Coffee Club events and the Bean Cycle’s monthly newsletter.
“The reason why I became a Coffee Club member was to support local craft coffee, and from that, I got so many different perks and I basically became a part of the community because of it,” said Miguel Hallman, a Coffee Club member of two years.
Coffee Club members get 10 percent off bags of locally roasted beans as one of their perks. The Bean Cycle rotates through their coffee beans frequently, Mita said, because the beans are roasted in small batches.
“Everything’s from small farms and roasted in small batches, and the reason for that is to maintain quality,” Mita said. “If I’ve learned anything about the owners and the family here is that their dedication to quality is relentless, in the coolest, most admirable way.”
And that’s another reason we love coffee: It’s always changing.” – Victoria Mita, a barista at the Bean Cycle
The Bean Cycle’s monthly events, another Coffee Club perk, are also open to anyone with a love for coffee. The events are centered on learning more about coffee and meeting other coffee lovers in the community, Mita said.
“We try to have a class of some kind,” Mita said.”We love being in a position to educate people about the next wave of coffee. And that’s another reason we love coffee: It’s always changing. It’s such a dynamic topic area and science really and art form and craft, so it ties in really well with Fort Collins when you think about.”
February’s event, “Make your own: Cortado Cup,” sought to teach members about different espresso drinks while creating ceramic cortado cups. The event overlapped with the weekly Half Crown Creative meetup because of the artistic element of the event. Located under the stairs in the Bean Cycle, Half Crown Creative aims to build community by hosting a free way for people to participate in a creative space.
Check out the Bean Cycle’s Facebook Page for upcoming events.
“With working on Half Crown with (the Bean Cycle), it’s really rounding out their identity and where they want the shop to go while giving a really supportive space to try out these activities to engage customers and create another community in there,” said Sarah Bendix, the founder of Half Crown Creative and a resident artist for the organization.
Through the Bean Cycle’s large emphasis on community, they offer many options through classes and the Coffee Club that they encourage anyone interested to check out.
“Just come out and get involved,” Mita said. “Don’t be shy.”
Collegian reporter Julia Trowbridge can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on twitter @chapin_jules.
