Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company

Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company is a coffeehouse, coffee roaster, and tea distributor based in Wallingford in Seattle.

History

In 1979 Tim McCormack was the manager of Starbucks' roasting operation.[1] In 1987 the ownership of Starbucks changed hands and McCormack moved into the wholesale division of the company.[1] In 1996 McCormack formed a partnership with Jeff Babcock and together they founded Zoka.[1]

Recognition

Zoka encourages its baristas to compete in barista meetups and competitions. In 2002 Zoka barista Dismas Smith placed third in the World Barista Championship and other employees have similarly been recognized in regional barista competitive events.[1]

Brand image

Zoka coffee is characteristically shade-grown coffee and the company promotes concepts of ecological sustainability.[1]

Coffee club

Part of Zoka's business model includes a "coffee club" wherein Zoka creates unique coffee blends and roasts for subscribers who are interested in learning the variations in the quality of coffee due to differences in production.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Seattle coffee: three roaster/retailers that helped breathe life into the specialty coffee movement. (Cup Service)". Tea & Coffee Trade Journal (Lockwood Trade Journal Co., Inc.). July 31, 2005.
  2. ↑ Brangien, Davis; Mickool, Sheila; Amster-Burton, Matthew (October 2010). "Seattle Coffee Guide: The Iconic shops". Seattle. Retrieved 15 November 2011.

External links

Coordinates: 47°39′20″N 122°22′23″W / 47.65556°N 122.37306°W