Coffee Shop Boom In Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - We hear a lot about the growing craft beer industry in Charlotte but there’s another drink that’s also booming in the Queen City. Coffee shops are opening all over Charlotte. That’s great not only for coffee lovers but for the local economy as well. I wanted to find out what’s behind this boom.

There's just something about a cup of coffee at a coffee shop. "It's a welcoming community, so when you walk into a coffee shop you feel that welcoming,” says James Jones the Third, who is manager at Enderly Coffee on Tuckaseegee Road in west Charlotte. “You feel, when you sit down and get to speak with the barista and enjoy a cup of coffee. That's something you want to go back and do again and again and again.”

Enderly has been roasting and distributing coffee here in Charlotte since 2012 but only opened this first retail shop within the last year. Tony Santoro is the owner and says, "High quality specialty coffee is becoming more and more accessible. So, people are engaging with it more and more. And as a result, if they come from another city for example, they're demanding it more and more. So I think our city is just kind of catching up to the demand of specialty coffee."

It's estimated there are at least 27 coffee specialty shops in Charlotte and that number's expected to keep growing.

Basal Coffee on Bryant Street in west Charlotte also opened less than a year ago. “Everyone needs a cup of coffee...” according to Macy Uczen, who is assistant manager at Basal. She adds, “Coffee is very similar to like whiskey or alcohol. You know, there’s so many different notes with coffee. And taste, and ways to make coffee, and how you extract it, what you make it with, how you roast it, how you wash it, the whole process. There’s a lot that goes into making coffee. So I think people are starting to pay really close attention and caring what they’re drinking. So I think that’s kinda why it’s taken on so strongly here in Charlotte.”

Uczen and Santoro say local coffee shops are about a lot more than just the drink. According to Santoro, "I don't know. I just think coffee does so much for the human, for humankind, right. It's a place for connection, it's a place for comfort, and it's a place for energy and caffeine and all that. So it has all different purposes and functions."

So what does the future hold for local coffee shops? Jones says it looks very good. “I see the future being bright. As long as we continue to do what we say we do, which is, connect with people and give them great drinks, I see it going as far as we’d love it to, as well as create jobs for other people.”

If you are interested in learning more about local coffee and getting a chance to sample a variety of locally roasted coffees, the Pour Coffee Festival in Charlotte is coming up in March. It sold out last year. Tickets are available now at www.pourcoffeefestival.com

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