Self-described Starbucks junkies, please apply.
Business.org, a community of small-business advocates, is going to pay java addicts $1,000 to ditch corporate establishments for locally-owned coffee shops.
The job requirements are: Must be a Starbucks fanatic; must be willing to share your experience going local and must commit for a full month of local joe. The chosen coffee applicant will also need to cost compare and identify the challenges, if any, of buying local.
Applications will be accepted through September 30.
For more information, or to apply, click here.
With more than 100 coffee shops – according to ApartmentGuide.com, which named Pittsburgh the eighth best city in U.S. for coffee lovers – the ’Burgh is the perfect place to find a coffee applicant, said Madison Haggin, a Business.org spokesperson.
Matt Stark, owner of Gasoline Street Coffee Co. in Downtown Pittsburgh, called the coffee project a brilliant way to promote local haunts. The way Stark sees it, going local doesn’t just benefit small shop owners, it also helps roasters and bakeries because coffee shops like his often buy local.
“It has a trickledown effect,” Stark said.
Stark’s specialty shop buys beans from a roaster in the East End and baked goods from the South Side. Each month the shop invites a local guest roaster.
For Stark, the morning cup is more than a shot of caffeine: “Our mission statement is to build community, one cup at a time.”
