Compass Coffee
| File:Compass Coffee logo.svg | |
| 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 |
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]
History
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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
[edit | edit source]Compass 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
[edit | edit source]In 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
[edit | edit source]In 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
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