Today marks the last day of my summer internship at Compass Coffee, and wow - how the time flies! From the first moment I walked into our roastery in Ivy City and saw our massive roasters working away, I knew I was in for a cool experience. I was welcomed by my new boss, Sydney, and several other members of the Compass team. Not long after I was also introduced to my co-marketing intern, Gabby. Looking back, I don’t know what I would have done without her! To say we were attached at the hip this summer would be an understatement, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
So, why Compass Coffee? Not only am I an avid coffee drinker and lover, but I am also a longtime dedicated customer and fan of Compass Coffee. It was the coffee place that I went out of my way to visit; everything from the design of the cafes to the quality of the coffee and syrups, as well as the friendliness of the baristas, drew me in. Needless to say, this internship was a dream come true.
One of the first things we did at the start of my internship was open our new 14th Street Cafe. Watching it come together was a really cool experience. I enjoyed being hands-on in setting up the cafe and helping out. I can now proudly say that all of the beautiful photos in that cafe were hung by myself and Gabby. One of the unique things about Compass is its all-hands-on-deck environment. No person is above doing a job, and everyone is willing to step in and help.
Additionally, a lot of my time interning was spent in cafes, both creating content and working as a Barista! I learned the ins and outs of working at Compass through two different but equally important perspectives. I appreciated being able to interact with customers and my fellow baristas, as well as learn how to make every drink on the menu. From there, I was able to translate that into content creation. On my days with the marketing team I got to create everything from lifestyle videos, graphics, stop-motion videos, DC-themed coffee posts, and more! I truly appreciate the creativity I was able to exercise while I learned about social media and content strategy.
I also had the opportunity to routinely visit our cafes and collect Barista Profiles – a spotlight blog we use to highlight our wonderful baristas! I enjoyed learning more about the Baristas who play a significant role in making Compass what it is. It was also great to get even more exposure to the different cafes and learn about what it is that makes each one unique. I particularly enjoyed my time in our 1201 Wilson Blvd Cafe in Rosslyn, our bilingual cafe with two levels, including a spacious, bright, and airy loft space to work in or chat with friends. I also spent a lot of time at our cafe in Spring Valley, which quickly became a favorite as well. This is my home cafe where I was first introduced to Compass and where I often make stops to pick up a latte. It was nice getting to know everyone at the location I visited so often, and being able to be the one behind bar for a change!
To finish my summer internship, I had the amazing opportunity to spend a week in Nashville at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference, where Compass Coffee had the opportunity to be the exclusive coffee provider. We served our delicious El Salvadorian Bitcoin Blend cold brew to thousands of enthusiastic bitcoiners and partnered with the Women of Bitcoin Brunch to create an exclusive Women of Bitcoin coffee tin. The best part? All the coffee served was purchased with bitcoin. It was a huge and immersive experience aimed at inspiring, educating, and connecting the global Bitcoin community. At the conference, Compass served nearly 16,000 of cups of cold brew to over 22,000 attendees!
One of our farmers, Jorge, even had his own booth set up at the convention to talk about how bitcoin benefits his business with fast, direct payments. It was an excellent opportunity to personally meet him and learn even more about what he does. It was also lovely to be able to spend time with the team and other volunteers, working together to run a great coffee operation for the convention.
If I were to give advice to hopeful future interns, the main thing I would say is to be confident in yourself and your skills. Take risks and reach out to people! You never know where life can lead you. Additionally, always be willing to work hard. The reality is that every task will not be the most exciting, but it is essential to maintain a positive and hardworking attitude, both for yourself and your team.
To say I learned a lot this summer would be an understatement. I am incredibly grateful to the Compass team for taking a chance on me and providing me the opportunity to immerse myself and learn from this dynamic and creative company. I am excited to apply everything I learned during my time here to my studies at school this year. Although I may not be an intern anymore, I will be sure to keep visiting my favorite cafes and cannot wait to see what the future holds for Compass!
