Specialty coffee doesn’t have a reputation for being a particularly diverse or welcoming industry. In Minneapolis, entrepreneur and community builder Houston White set out to change that in 2020 after the police murder of fellow resident George Floyd. White soon founded The Get Down Coffee Co as a brand for everyone, but especially for the Black community.
Although the company has just one brick-and-mortar coffee shop in North Minneapolis that opened in November 2021, the coffee roaster recently made huge strides by launching in more than 60 Chicagoland Target stores in August 2022, including the West Loop, South Pulaski, Wilson Yard on the North Side and West suburban Broadview. The launch includes whole bean bags of their most popular blends – the Drip Drip, Plus One and Turntables.
Get Down’s Director of Coffee C.J. Porter Born is on a mission to make space for and amplify the representation of people of color in coffee.
“I roasted all of the coffee that you’ll find on Target shelves,” Porter Born said. “We want to do pop-ups and samples and have organic connections and relationships spring up out of that.”
The TRiiBE caught up with Born to learn about his personal journey as a coffee roaster and how coffee builds community.
(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity).