Bridge City Coffee officially began in the summer of 2017 as a roastery in Anderson, SC. We use the term “roastery” loosely since we were operating out of a 10’ x 10’ shed. Things started humbly with all of “bridge city” fitting into the back of a pick up truck, yet since the beginning, our goal has always been the same: build value and hope in people through coffee. After moving into a warehouse space, we were able to take a huge leap towards our end goal by hiring our first employee, Brandon, who is now our head roaster. January 5, 2019 we opened the doors of our first storefront location! The first six months were filled with lots of ups and downs. Still, that summer brought a few major accomplishments: welcoming a new baby into the world, opening the drive-thru component of our shop (which was virtually non-existent at that point in the specialty coffee world), and hiring our first two employees from a non-profit partner, Mill Village Farms. It took two years, but that moment is the reason Bridge City was created and will always remain a major milestone for us. What about the coffee? Even with the larger goal in mind, We have always sought to roast and serve the best cup of coffee. We are continually honing our craft and pursuing improvement and excellence. We refuse to sacrifice the quality and integrity of our product for some feel good mission. To operate in such a way would be destructive to who we are and what we stand for. But don’t take our word for it. We let the coffee do the talking. Once you’ve had some, you’ll see why. Our mission statement has been on the wall of our cafe since we opened our doors and will continue to be the foundation of every decision we make. We stayed true to that mission during the insanity of 2020 when it would have been easy to cut corners to stay afloat as a business. Not only were we able to survive 2020 as a small business without letting any employee go, but we actually grew through it! It’s evident to us that building value and hope in people through coffee was the primary reason for that growth.