In December 2023, Burial Grounds Coffee Collective closed its doors, another victim of the post-COVID economy. But out of the grounds, a few die-hard workers got together and created a coffee roasting co-op in the same location. Wobbly Cup Cooperative Roasters was born.
Colin Barlett, Lacey Perfors and Zoe Raizen were all roasters at Burial Grounds. It was a place that gave them a sense of belonging and a community connection. “I was houseless: I had to choose between housing and school as a college student, and afterward it just stopped being a choice, the way that happens,” shares Colin. “I was a regular at Burial Grounds because it was somewhere I could be a regular person, and eventually I got a job there. I really wanted to replicate that experience for other people, and give back what I was given.”
They bought the roaster and created a worker-owned cooperative, taking over the lease from Burial Grounds.
Coop Coffee Roaster First in Thurston County Area
Wobbly Cup is the only worker-owned roasting cooperative in the region. “I really think that this requires a degree of mutual engagement and attention that raises the standard of our roasting,” shares Colin. “It feels as good to make as it does to drink!”
The coffee roasting coop is part of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union. Members of the union are called Wobblies. “This region has a really deep history of Wobbly organizing, integrating into other struggles for justice, that we wanted to honor,” explains Colin when asked about the roaster’s name.” The union has its own social clubs, including singers, and one of the songs, “Sabo Tabby Kitten,” has become the mascot of the union.
So, Wobbly Cup Cooperative Roasters was born as an homage to the union, complete with a kitty knocking over a coffee cup as its logo. “I’d give a shout-out to my friend, Dave Rebbie, who had the idea for the name and logo,” shares Lacey. “Given the history of black cats in the IWW as Colin mentioned we all agreed it was a fitting choice.”
Lacey and Zoe started Wobbly Cup in late 2023, and the company, with Colin added, started roasting their first beans in January 2024.
Wobbly Cup Cooperative Roasters in Olympia Provides Fair-Trade and Organic Coffee
The coffee industry can be exploitive when it comes to the farmers who grow the beans. The Wobbly Cup crew are very aware of this, and wanted to make sure they did not add to that problem. “We only use organic and fair-trade sourced beans that are cooperatively grown,” explains Coline. “Beans are very seasonal, and our distributor doesn’t necessarily carry the same beans any given year. So every few months I get to nerd out, studying new growers, their relationship to the ecosystems they grow in, how they’re organized, the way they treat their fellow workers – and of course, how all of those factors influence the character and flavor of their beans. I’m trying to learn Spanish and Swahili with the hope of being able to communicate with growers directly.”
As for starting a roaster, the founding members had a leg up, having worked for Burial Grounds. However, they still had to learn a lot about city, county, state and federal licensing, booking keeping, budgeting, sourcing equipment and beans – all the ins-and-outs of running a business. “It’s all so much, and you can’t guarantee a liveable income for yourself, much less anyone else, when you start out,” shares Colin. “Knowing and trusting the folks we started with was the thing that made everything else possible – we could let each other do the work and not take it personally when we kept each other accountable, because we were all in this together.”
The unstable American economy has also been an eye-opener for the crew. “Within just the first two months of this current administration, we have seen the price of green beans jump over $2 dollars a pound, where the trend had been fluctuating a mere 50 cents the first year of operating depending on sourcing, of course,” shares Lacey. “We are not importing our own beans, but it is international trade that we are dealing with the effects of. This makes budgeting for the future extremely difficult and we do not know how this will be affecting our sales because the consumers are seeing this same economic pressure reflected in their own living expenses.”
Where to Buy Wobbly Cup Coffee in Olympia
Wanting to try a fresh brew of locally-roasted beans? Lacey says you can find it only in Olympia. “Because our roastery is small, we have kept our businesses local,” she adds. “The Olympia Food Coop and Gull Harbor Mercantile were our only retail markets when we first started, and we have expanded to make our beans available at Orca Books Collective, Jay’s Farm Stand and Lantern Records.”
If you are looking for a cup of coffee to go, you can find Wobbly Cup coffee served at Blue Heron Bakery, Soul Cafe, Octapas, and the Eastside Food Coop deli. Want to try it for free? Head to the People’s Open Mic on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information, follow the Wobbly Cup Cooperative Roasters Facebook page.
