Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Goch.
Casey, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Shreebs began in our backyard in Venice, CA during the summer of 2012. My husband and I wanted to bring our friends together through our shared love of coffee and the connection it can forge. We started with a simple drip pour over stand, a hot water kettle, and freshly roasted beans from our friends at The Conservatory in Culver City.
After working the stand every weekend for months, our yard was packed with people. We moved the gathering to the front yard to make room, set up tables and chairs, and before we knew it strangers and passersby were lining up to share coffee with us. It was all donation based and created a true community in every sense.
As the stand’s popularity grew, we started showing up at other gatherings around town with our simple pour over set up, local beans, and the coffee knowledge we had to share. We realized adding coffee to any environment makes it more enjoyable, so events and pop-ups kind of became our thing. We expanded our menu to include iced cold brew, several teas, and homemade syrups. With our new broadened audience, we began dabbling in sourcing, cupping, and roasting our own coffee.
We were ready for the next step–our own space–but were unsure how to go about recreating the communal experience we had in the yard. We were approached about an opportunity for a pop-up shipping container space in the Arts District – an absolute dream space for us. Tight knit community of thinkers, artists, and creatives, with a wide open green outdoor space – perfection!
We spent a year and a half in the container throwing community events, experimenting with different coffees, and finding our brand voice, all while continuing our catering business.
Today, we are building out a small neighborhood shop in Echo Park: sourcing and roasting beans locally and excited for what the future may bring.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many bumps in the road. At first, it was finding the time for a passion side project, figuring out the everyday logistics of roving around the city with large quantities of liquid… ☺ Next, it was working out of a small space with no water. There was also the sad realization that we had built an amazing community only to have to leave them when the pop-up ended. And most recently, the search for a new and permanent space. I don’t think there is such a thing as a “smooth road” for a small business, but when you are passionate about something, you find the strength to keep going. When you have great people around lifting you up, you can do anything.
Please tell us about Shreebs Coffee.
Shreebs is a neighborhood coffee shop (or at least it will be in Spring 2018!) We source direct and organic coffees and roast locally in LA. Our product standards are high and it is important to us that people can rely on that. What sets us apart from the rest, what we are truly proud of is our focus on hospitality and customer experience. When people come to share coffee with us, we want them to feel taken care of and that they are part of the Shreebs family.
We also believe artists and makers are vital to any community so we started a blog called, SHREEBSxCOMMON on our website, to feature them. For each feature, we sit down with the artist, in their studio or workshop, and share coffee, talk about the work, about things going on in the world. It really allows us to connect with the creative spirits among us and makes us stronger as a company.
Aside from our future space and creative community, we also offer coffee catering services for public and private events.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My mind instantly travels back to summers at camp. From age 6 to 16, I left home every summer for 8 weeks. I have countless memories of campfires, color war, and meaningful friendships which still hold true today. Camp was my first experience with community, I often look back and think it is largely responsible for who I am today.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1755 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026 - Website: https://www.shreebscoffee.com/
- Phone: 424.260.5880
- Email: hello@shreebscoffee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shreebscoffee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shreebscoffee/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/shreebscoffee
- Other: https://www.shreebscoffee.com/shreebsxcommon-blog/
Image Credit:
David Benhaim
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