Come Together Over Coffee {Greater Goods Coffee}

Back To School

Words by Jessi Devenyns Photos by Shelby Bella & Ashley Haguewood

Khanh Trang discovered good—some would say great—coffee in Utah. Up until that point, she drank coffee for practical reasons. Her ‘aha moment’ happened when the coffee she ordered didn’t taste like coffee. Khanh elaborates, “It wasn’t bitter. It wasn’t so dark that I had to do stuff to it. It was smooth. There was a lot of nuttiness to it.” At that pivotal moment, she began her quest for the perfect cup of Jo.

That journey quickly became a passionate search to discover grains of industry knowledge and took her to Peru and Africa before she found her way to Austin and decided that coffee education should be accessible to anyone who walks through the doors of Greater Goods for a cup of Jo. Greater Goods is not only a local coffee roastery but also a cafe and coffee education center founded by Khanh and her husband Trey Cobb. Whether someone is interested in latte art or the roasting side of the business, Khanh and Trey offer courses that cater to a wide range of interests and skill levels.

Khanh explains that the goal is to craft more discerning consumers and professionals who can enjoy a cup of coffee for more than just the caffeine kick. “I want our legacy to be that we are the glue where the coffee community can come together,” she shares. Trey adds that since opening the training facility in 2018, instructors have trained the baristas at Caffe Medici to roast as well as Greater Good’s own baristas for competition at the national-level Coffee Championships.

While learning can be fun and games, providing education is slowly increasing the city’s coffee quality while also raising Austin in the esteem of national coffee roasters. “And that’s why all the big companies actually have taken note and are coming in,” says Khanh who points to the appearance of Counter Culture and Intelligentsia Coffee as evidence of Austin’s evolving coffee scene.

While both Trey and Khanh agree that Austin is still working its way up to the world-class level of more traditional coffee cities, the capital city of Texas is far removed from its past of only identifying the difference between a drip coffee and a latte. Reaching a position that rivals Portland or Seattle is just a matter of continuing to provide education to those who are curious.

Contact:
2501 East 5th St.
greatergoodsroasting.com
@gg_roasting