CoffeesUp is a new subscription-based platform offering an amazing deal: $8/month for 3 coffees each week. Their mission? To bring together coffee lovers and local cafés.
They believe you shouldn’t have to pay an arm and a leg for good coffee, and they want you to discover new local, family owned coffee shops in your own neighborhood! Based in Brooklyn, the CoffeesUp team is passionate about great coffee and offers 3 specialty coffees (read: not just black drip, this includes lattes, mochas, cappuccinos, and more, depending on which café you visit) per week, 24 hours apart. They have partner cafés all over the eastern United States, with 10 locations in Manhattan, 6 in Brooklyn, and 2 in New Jersey. Each of these cafés are unique and have their own flair to them – I visited my nearest café, Down Under Coffee in Columbus Circle, to get a taste of the subscription service and learn about what makes them special, and why they decided to partner with CoffeesUp.
Situated in the underground market around the Columbus Circle subway station, Down Under Coffee (@downundercoffee) offers commuters a welcome haven from the hustle and bustle of the city, and the stressful morning subway ride. I entered on the 57th and 8th entrance, and walked through the busy market past burrito stands, artisan jewelry popups, and the LUSH scent wafting down the hallway, until I arrived at Down Under Coffee right before I hit the turnstiles. Gina and James, the managers, made me feel right at home as I asked them about their café. I ordered a latte on the app, and as soon as I placed my free coffee order, I heard a “brrrring!” from the back of the kitchen. “That’s how the CoffeesUp orders come in,” James explained. They get just a few CoffeesUp orders a day and are excited for the number to go up as the word spreads about the subscription service. They started the partnership a month ago, and decided to join the system because they wanted to attract new customers that wouldn’t normally stop by their café. In New York City, there’s so much saturation in the coffee market, and everyone is your competitor. They wanted to bring attention to the convenience of their store on a morning commute, a little “window to the world” inside a crowded subway station.
After we talked about CoffeesUp, Gina gave me a delicious pastry, and excitedly talked me through how she found all the local bakers she sources their array of pastries and snacks from. Their entire selection is vegan and gluten free, because through working in the café business even prior to Down Under, she’s noticed that that’s what people want, and it allows her to be inclusive of all patrons. Her pastries, cakes, and cookies are sourced from Suspiro Bake Shop, Sensible Edibles, and The Good Batch in Brooklyn (which makes an incredible tahini chocolate chip cookie). She loves to do business with local bakers to promote the community feel of the shop and support small businesses around her, which I think is amazing! Before I left, I asked James and Gina what their favorite menu items were: a flat white and an espresso with cold oat milk, respectively. I ordered a delicious, creamy oat milk latte this time, but I’ll be swinging by Down Under Coffee twice more this week to get my last 2 free coffees, and those two are up next on my list!
Here’s a little visual guide on how the app works: you sign up for the subscription service, then find your nearest café, then place your order!
