WHY ARIZONA CLEAN COFFEE IS A BUZZ ABOUT COMMUNITY CULTURE
When Emily Barton thought about her morning cup of coffee, her focus was on finding that just-right taste and optimal level of buzz to get her through the day, without going over the top in jitters or, the often unavoidable, energy crash early in the afternoon. But that was some 10 years ago. Life and her relationship with java, today, are much more complex yet simplified, because if it isn’t clean coffee, “it isn’t good enough,” she says.
On an ordinary day some years earlier, Emily’s husband was set to undergo an annual medical checkup, mandatory for maintaining good status and employment with the fire department. “He had trouble with acid reflex, as many people do,” Barton says, and added that this time, it was really bad. In fact, “they wouldn’t clear him for duty unless he agreed to have an endoscopy for a deeper look,” she said. Among other diet restrictions given to him, her husband was prohibited from drinking the coffee he had grown to love — unless it was ‘cold brew.’
The Universe Dictated a Different Path
Looking for ways to help him stay healthy, as any loving partner would do, Barton dedicated her time to researching the art of making the finest cold brew coffee. “At first, I started making small batch brews, experimented with the process and the beans. Once I became more comfortable with the end-product, I’d invite family and friends over to try it and get their feedback,” she said.
Eventually her quest and passion for creating the best cold brew in Arizona grew beyond the confines of her home and into the larger community. Her successful real estate career took a backseat, and her signature clean coffee culture went full steam ahead.
“Coffee is the greatest icebreaker. Think about it. You can have any conversation over coffee, the good, the bad and the ugly,” Barton explains. “Coffee, drinking it while alone, can help clear your head, bring focus and energy, or prompt calmness. There’s an all-purposefulness about it.” Even when having a difficult conversation with someone, she says, having it over coffee is an ideal buffer. “A shared place. A shared appreciation for something good,” Barton adds.
Clean coffee can support physical and mental wellbeing.
Lattes, espressos, cold brews, she says, supports our daily lives, much like other routines we practice. “But coffee consumption, that routine, can help us do other healthy routines, like exercise, taking in quiet time, or me time,” Barton adds. Coffee, the aroma of it, can also bring about a fond memory from childhood, when we watched our parents or grandparents brew their own pot. Making and enjoying coffee brings good feelings to the surface, she says.
Well-Sourced Sweetz Brew Clean Coffee Is the Game Changer
Ensuring that the Sweetz Brew coffee consistently delivers on its wellness features, maintaining a strong and transparent relationship with Barton’s coffee bean vendors is essential. “Having a reputable brand is everything to me,” she says.
For a company like Sweetz Brew, there aren’t many importers out there who want to work with a small business as they make more money on volume, she explains. “But I won’t sacrifice on the quality. I ask questions, a lot of questions of our suppliers. We work with suppliers directly, so we know where our single-origin coffees and certified organic beans come from: Central America, Honduras, Ethiopia, Mexico. If we cannot get the sourcing information, we don’t work with that supplier.
With Sweetz Brew’s recent acquisition of a local Arizona Roastery, Roastery48, their brand, culture, and product integrity gained greater awareness across the Grand Canyon state. Customers now have more choices of coffee beverages to-be-brewed at home, by ordering online or in-store.
Sweetz Brew elevates coffee perspective.
In addition to providing a safe, clean and elegantly smooth coffee for her husband and countless others in Arizona, whether locals, part-time residents or tourists, Barton encapsulates an essence of “come-as-you-are” culture into the Sweetz Brew Café lounge in Gilbert, Arizona. There, patrons find themselves immersed in a Sweetz Brew living room and bar, where friends and strangers let conversations flow as freely as the coffee and laughter.
Barton says she plans to expand to 10 franchise shops in Arizona — specifically looking for franchisees who are truly passionate about coffee, know coffee, and want to share the same coffee culture by bringing the Sweet Brewz vibe to their community. “As it is, some of our customers come.”