by Joshua Race

A center for community, a local business champion, and the spearhead of millennial culture, the coffee shops and roasteries that dot nearly every small town in the U.S. are landmarks for everyone. They bring people together from all backgrounds to gather around a drink that is common to much of the world: coffee.

I would like to produce a 360 tour of one of four coffee roasteries in Syracuse: Café Kubal, Recess Coffee, Peaks Coffee Company or the Kind Coffee Company. I have met all four of the owners and roasters at each location, and each have their individual styles. The important thing is their impact on the community. Most have been here for more than ten years and have watched Syracuse's growth in that time.

Café Kubal
This is the largest network of coffee roasteries. They have five café locations, and are the most well-known. It would be possible to document their growth by showing all the places they have expanded to.

Recess Coffee
A cult favorite, and ranked in the Top 100 Coffee Shops in America by People, Recess has two locations–one just on the other side of Thornden Park from the University.

Peaks Coffee Company
The youngest of the bunch, Peaks is run by a young couple who supply a number of smaller shops in Upstate NY. They roast i their own café in Cazenovia.

Kind Coffee Company
Kind has been in business longer than I've been alive. They roast different blends every day. Everything is fresh-made the day it's bought. A smaller location, Kind's owner is an eclectic fellow, and an interesting man to talk to if you stop by his warehouse where he works alone.

Mission: The aim of this project would be to show how powerful coffee can be in a community and how it has helped Syracuse develop in a post-industrial world.