Behind the Brew: Coffee and Cotton
Kicking off the “Behind the Brew” interview series is Coffee and Cotton, a small coffee shop nestled inside Mill No.5 in Lowell, MA. Being inside an old mill, the coffee shop boasts rustic and vintage vibes, with exposed brick, weathered wood, and dozens of Edison bulbs hanging from the ceiling.
I had the opportunity to interview three baristas at Coffee and Cotton: Alex, Aria, and Hayley.
(From left to right) Alex, Hayley, and Aria.
Tell me about your journey in the coffee industry. What attracted you to this profession?
Alex: “I haven't been in the coffee industry very long. Since 2017, I had been working as a line cook at Coffee and Cotton, but once COVID hit and we reopened according to guidelines, I started working as a barista. Being open only two days a week, it took me awhile to learn how to properly make all the different drinks. Now I feel like I've been a barista forever, but there's still always more to learn. To be honest, I wasn't initially drawn to the position of barista, it appeared to me as the same thing as line cook but with drinks. I'm glad to have become one now though as I love the fast-paced nature of it and being able to make these drinks that so many people love.”
Aria: “I started working at Coffee & Cotton as a second job while working as a line cook at another restaurant in the area. I grew to really like being a barista and found it a lot more suitable for the longer term, so I ended up moving just to that!”
Hayley: “As a college student there tends to be two things associated with the 4+ years of school: Financial insecurity and coffee. And these two things are also what led me to the coffee industry. There is nothing I love more than coffee (well my gf but…) and as a college student I needed a job. While looking, in a last-ditch effort I asked about positions at Coco and soon after got hired!”
Tell me a little bit about the coffee shop you work at. What’s your favorite part? What’s your least favorite part? What do you look forward to?
Alex: “Coffee and Cotton is very unique thanks to its location being inside what used to be a Mill factory. Prior to COVID when the dining room was still open, it'd be the perfect spot to come relax and study while also enjoying coffee and food. Twice a month we would also host open mic nights where anybody could sign up and perform. On weekdays we were typically very slow, but come the weekend, there would always be a line out the door and a bustling dining room. My favorite part about working here is being able to give each and every guest a memorable experience. My least favorite part, if anything, would be when there's a lack of communication or drama among coworkers, but fortunately that doesn't happen often. I look forward to the day we can reopen the dining room.”
Aria: “I think a lot of what makes Coco special, and Mill 5 in general, is the community it's fostered. The markets and events definitely help with this; I probably miss them the most. We have a really good team here that I feel pretty at home with. As for least favorites, I think there can be a bit of a cultural gap between us and the community of Lowell at large, but I look forward to being able to fully reopen, see familiar faces without masks one day and maybe bridge that gap over time.
Hayley: “There are so many things about the coffee shop I work at that I love! From the ability to be “out” without fear my coworkers will treat me differently, to the inclusivity and sustainability present within the company. Not many businesses care so much about supporting local businesses and artists.”
What is a sort of surprise/unexpected fact that people wouldn’t know about your profession?
Alex: “So I'm still relatively new to this profession, so I honestly couldn't tell you any surprises or unexpected facts, but I'm sure I will come to learn some with time.”
Aria: “There's a lot more to learn about coffee than one might think! Almost every place you go to, and every barista you meet will have its own preferred techniques and even definitions of drinks.”
How has COVID affected your experience as a barista?
Alex: “It's funny, COVID both began my journey as a barista while also impeding it. The café I work at has only been open twice a week from 10-4 since last July, and also due to COVID, I didn't have anybody to effectively train me in the position, so I learned gradually overtime. Very recently though, I started working at Pressed Café in South Nashua. Being a franchise, they're super fast-paced and are equipped to train new baristas, so within a week I had already learned so much about making drinks. So COVID hasn't necessarily affected my position as a barista, but more so Coffee and Cotton.”
Aria: “COVID has certainly stolen the liveliness and a lot of the social aspect that makes some of the best parts of the job. We have everything as takeout right now, so it's basically just us and a revolving door of a few dozen customers. Adjusting as we prepare to "go back to normal" is frankly very intimidating, but I'm looking forward to eventually buzzing around and long open mic nights again! It's also forced me to work on my skills involving confrontation and enforcing boundaries with upholding safety protocol. Fortunately though, the overwhelming majority of our customers are very respectful and precautious.”
Hayley: “COVID has affected so much in so many ways. From seeing people who don’t think they breathe through their nose every day I work, to the hours I work, to simply the fact that I can’t live at school so working at Coco has become much more challenging.”
How has your coffee shop adapted their business model and strategies in response to the pandemic?
Alex: “When COVID first hit, we closed down in March and remained so until July. The pandemic has changed the restaurant quite a bit. Our hours went from 7 days a week to only Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm, and as a result, employees pick up open shifts as opposed to them being assigned. A new position of entrance monitor was added so as to control the flow of traffic into the building, and food and drink can only be consumed once you're outside the entire building (unfortunate I know). It took a bit of experimenting in the first couple months to see what store hours worked best, how many people we'd need working each day, how much product needed to be ordered every week, etc. It's not as structured as we'd like it to as we need to adjust things week by week.”
Aria: “We've reduced our hours to only daytime on the weekends, suspended most of our regular events until further notice, and allow no eating or drinking inside at this time. We have someone monitor our entrances and exits to ensure everyone is cooperating with social distancing precautions and sanitizing pretty much every surface you might touch while at the Mill. We've adopted a really thorough and careful preventative strategy that has been open to feedback and I'm very grateful for that. So far it's been pretty successful!”
2020 has proven to be an incredibly challenging year for the coffee industry. How do you stay motivated through these hardships?
Photo by Tim Song (@offpeaklife)
Alex: “Everybody who continues to support local businesses despite the strict guidelines keeps me motivated, along with just keeping busy in my day to day life and working multiple jobs.”
Aria: “The people that keep coming back make a big difference. We're probably one of the only outings they get to have right now and they've continued to support us and that's been really motivating.”
What is the most drastic change that you’ve noticed in the industry since the pandemic hit?
Alex: “I'm sorry, I can't really say. As I've said earlier, I haven't had much experience in the coffee industry yet, but I know that with vaccines rolling out for everyone in April (hopefully), we should start to see Coffee and Cotton, among other businesses, reopen by the end of this year.”
Aria: “The amount of people we're getting in the shop is, understandably, drastically lower. It feels crazy to think a year ago we'd have a line out the door on any given weekend!”
Have you noticed any silver linings in your industry since the pandemic hit?
Aria: “A lot of people are extra kind and considerate of our staff and our shop, and leave great tips!”
What are the best things local customers can do to support your business?
Alex: “The best thing locals could do to support Coffee and Cotton and the whole of Mill No. 5 is to come by and order a coffee, doesn't have to be a big order! To make the most of their time, they should absolutely stop by Sundays between 10 and 1 as we have the weekly farmer's market on the fifth floor.”
Photo by Tim Song (@offpeaklife)
Aria: “Keep coming back! Tell your friends we are open!”
Hayley: “I think the best thing customers can do is shop local! Well, that and follow all the rules no questions asked. We want to see you all for longer periods of time of course, but would rather everyone be healthy for that.”
What is your favorite coffee drink?
Alex: “My new favorite coffee drink would have to be an iced crème brûlée latte! The way I make it at Coffee and Cotton is with our house-made caramel and vanilla syrup, made with soy milk and topped with a double shot of espresso.”
Aria: “It depends on the day! I tend to cycle between cappuccinos, iced lattes, and cold brew with condensed milk.”
How do you drink your coffee at home? Do you have a coffee ‘ritual’?
Alex: “Oh god I must be the worst person to interview, I don't actually drink coffee at home haha! I actually never started drinking coffee until I started working here but now I love it and gotta have a latte with every shift.”
Aria: “There is not so much a ritual as there is a me yelling at my $50 Mr. Coffee machine to steam milk properly.”
What’s the biggest mistake that people make when making coffee at home?
Aria: “Using a Keurig!”
What's a little-known fact about coffee/beer that many people don't know?
Alex: “I'm not entirely sure how know this fact is, but making espresso is an art and a science. There are so many different factors at play contributing to great espresso (coarseness, pull time, weight, humidity to name a few), factors that I'm still learning how to manipulate for the best result.”
Aria: “Espresso and coffee aren't different types of bean, they're different brewing types! (I didn't know this until a few months ago, whoops!)”
Anything else you'd like for readers to know?
Alex: “If you say you don't like coffee but have only ever had it from one place, say Dunkin' Donuts; be more adventurous, try coffee from a bunch of other places, I promise you'll get a taste for it!”
Aria: “Wearing a bandana as PPE without tucking it into your shirt just sends your germs down and then out.”
Huge thank you to Alex, Aria, and Hayley at Coffee and Cotton for their time and willingness to be a part of “Behind the Brew”!