Coffee & Community

If you’ve had your eye on our social media pages recently, you’ve seen the recurrence of words like ‘community,’ ‘connection,’ and ‘new social safety net.’ You’ve also likely seen captions wherein we stress how we cannot do this work alone—evinced by another oft-repeated phrase of ours, “it takes a community to help a community.” Oftentimes, that like-minded assist comes from outside of the nonprofit sector. Our friends at SOUND COFFEE have generously roasted a special blend for us, dubbed ‘The nOURish Blend,’ which is now available through our online store. It’s got us thinking a lot about our history with Jeff and Sarah of SOUND COFFEE; how grateful we are for local businesses like them that are dedicated to giving back to, (and fostering) community.

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 It all started when Sarah’s mother gave Jeff the Christmas present of green coffee beans, along with roasting instructions. “We started roasting in our garage prior to covid,” Jeff says, “...it happened, we all got locked inside…it was a great time for us to develop our blends and work on packaging and marketing.” Then, neighbors started knocking, and friends began asking for bags. “...we knew we had something interesting.”

 This got them thinking about what other channels there were to explore. Many retail establishments were tough to get into; especially during this time, but one of the things that were allowed were outdoor markets. This is how the promising brand found its way to our farmers’ market.

 “The most important thing with the nOURish market was that it was close to our house…it was a natural way to extend what we were doing with our neighbors into a more public setting.” Like with their friends and neighbors, people kept coming back—telling them about their favorite roasts, how it factored into their morning routines, and what the coffee meant to them.

“The more we learned about nOURish and what they were doing, the more we fell in love with everything there.” As the saying goes, if you hang around the barbershop long enough, you’re bound to get a haircut, Jeff soon began to volunteer in the pantry himself. When asked about how this spirit of service translated into what would become SOUND COFFEE'S ethos, Jeff replied, “There are many things in the community that a small brand can have an impact on…We could easily give a portion on our side to organizations that needed support—from time, to straight up dollars…We choose to work with organizations that are local and on the smaller side.”

 2024 was a year of immense growth for SOUND COFFEE, “...we found new ways for people to taste the great coffee we roast. We now have the ability to take Sound Coffee to you,” (referencing the SOUND MOBILE COFFEE CART—equipped to cater events large or small). They opened an outpost at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater, introducing their coffee to the thousands of folks who shuffle in and out of the beloved venue. Not to mention the opening of their shop in the vibrant and historic Black Rock section of our city. All of this was a reminder that it is about much more than coffee.

 This prompted my final question for Jeff: What, to you, is the relationship between coffee and community? He paused for a second; pondering. He then replied, “What we really like about having a shop in Black Rock is it is a way for us to engage with the community…We love to have the opportunity to create a third space for groups needing to meet. We just had a dumpling-making class, a crocheting class…it’s a place to connect with other humans.”

 In many ways, the journey that Jeff and Sarah have taken with SOUND COFFEE has come full circle and mirrors that of nOURish BRIDGEPORT. While coffee and food are our respective métiers, at the end of the day, they are both means to the same end: fostering community (there it is again). Be it meeting up with an old friend for a cup of joe, or giving a hungry neighbor a plate of food—they are ALL ways of stepping across a line, and making a connection. We are so grateful for the one we made with Jeff and Sarah all those years ago, and we know that, because of it, the sun shines on our community a little brighter…