Little Waves Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in Durham

I really want this place to do well. I love supporting local coffee shops that have good practices. So from that perspective, the products are solid and the coffee is superior to any shop in town. BUT...and I hope the shop owners read this...the people that work there have made my experience miserable. To the extent that I tore up a gift card someone gave me for this place. On three separate occasions I went to the storefront on Hillsborough street. First time there I asked about a specific varietal of coffee I was interested in. The person working the cash register appeared to know nothing about coffee and really just wanted me to order and move on. It was not busy-there were no other customers there. Second time there: I researched in advance on their website what type of coffeee beans I wanted to buy. I showed up and the person again was just rude. I told them the product name that I wanted and after three times walking back into the shop, they told me they didn't have what I was asking for. Then i walked around to the window and pointed out the product was right there on the shelf!!. Third trip there, it was busy. There were five people waiting for drinks being prepared. I look inside and three employees were hanging out by the barista. Five minutes wiating and still no sign of anyone's drinks being delivered. The employees look outside and see me waiting to order...and the line building up behind me. No response at all. I waited three more minutes and determined that 8 minutes is more than enough time fo rme to be ignored by coffeeshop employees. While waiting I did try to use their website to order- that was a slow, buggy experience and I was not able to get my order entered because the site timed out. So I tore up my gift card and left.

Please fix your customer service and I would gladly...

Since the pandemic, I have been brewing at home, instead of getting the amazingly delicious pourovers, espressos and signature lattes at one of Little Waves shops (called Cocoa Cinnamon/Cacoa Canela). The subscription that I got at Little Waves brings a new and delicious bag of coffee each week. When it arrives, my seven year old daughter and I open the bag together to smell chocolate, sweet fruit, caramel or any of the smells that come up for us. It's a fun ritual we have, before I make my first pourover. At each stage, we smell. First the whole beans, then the ground coffee beans, then the coffee in the cup, and then, best of all, I get to drink it. Ooooh, what an incredible gift! I also know that I am buying from a woman forward, Latina owned company that pays farmers many times the price of Fair Trade, that pays their employees in their roastery and shops a living wage, that has a staff that is majority BIPOC, that gives back to the community, that actively engages in practices that protect the environment and that uses local artists and craftspeople to create their roastery and shops. I can feel good about knowing that, in this way, I am supporting the world I...

The best thing I've done during quarantine is sign up for a Little Waves coffee subscription. I've started every morning with a pourover for a decade, and moving to these beans has been transformative.

I get hyped about the label on literally very bag I've received: "golden apple, baker's chocolate, toffee and cinnamon", "luxardo cherry, golden raisin, and buttercream frosting in a sweet, creamy cup", "toffee, milk chocolate, and orange in a sweet, full-bodied cup"... !

The vision and mission of Little Waves (the roastery arm of Cocoa Cinnamon) is so special, too. This is the only roastery I know that illuminates the rich chain of relationships between human beings that culminates in the cup of coffee I hold in my hands: from farmers to roasters to the person who drops the bag off on my doorstep. (I love the hand delivery for local folks. They also ship internationally, and have made it to all 50 US states!) Supporting this vibrant community is a privilege, and the...