behind our name
The name “Bridge City” represents our relentless pursuit of healing and spanning divides between people and communities by building bridges; thus creating a better city for all of us to be a part of.
Whether we are connecting our partner farmers to the end consumer, doing our best to help heal racial divides through our incredible and amazing diverse staff, or helping our team move from self-loathing to a deep understanding and embracing of their self-worth, our mission is manifesting itself in different ways. No matter the means by which bridges are built, it can be summed up in one of our slogans: meet in the middle.
We believe that when this happens people and communities are brought together to seek understanding and embrace differences. Rather than division, a more vibrant and beneficial city is created - a city healed through meeting in the middle.
an idea born
The original idea to open a coffee shop was born in December of 2016. On a snowy day a month later, as our owner was pondering what it could look like, the name Bridge City Coffee came into his head.
His idea was to take coffee, a product that has historically been used to commoditize and exploit people, and use it to show people their intrinsic value and worth. Bridge City would represent our relentless pursuit of healing and spanning the divides between different people - building bridges and creating a better city for all of us to be a part of.
Since that snowy morning, the purpose of Bridge City has always been about something bigger than just coffee, it was created to help people discover the best of who they are and through that, bring something we all desperately need more of - hope.
the full story
Bridge City Coffee officially began in the summer of 2017 as a roastery in Anderson, SC. We use the term “roastery” loosely since we were operating out of a 10’ x 10’ shed. Things started humbly with all of “bridge city” fitting into the back of a pick up truck, yet since the beginning, our goal has always been the same: build value and hope in people through coffee.
After moving into a warehouse space, we were able to take a huge leap towards our end goal by hiring our first employee, Brandon, who is now our head roaster.
January 5, 2019 we opened the doors of our first storefront location! The first six months were filled with lots of ups and downs. Still, that summer brought a few major accomplishments: welcoming a new baby into the world, opening the drive-thru component of our shop (which was virtually non-existent at that point in the specialty coffee world), and hiring our first two employees from a non-profit partner, Mill Village Farms. It took two years, but that moment is the reason Bridge City was created and will always remain a major milestone for us.
What about the coffee? Even with the larger goal in mind, We have always sought to roast and serve the best cup of coffee. We are continually honing our craft and pursuing improvement and excellence.
We refuse to sacrifice the quality and integrity of our product for some feel good mission. To operate in such a way would be destructive to who we are and what we stand for. But don’t take our word for it. We let the coffee do the talking. Once you’ve had some, you’ll see why.
Our mission statement has been on the wall of our cafe since we opened our doors and will continue to be the foundation of every decision we make. We stayed true to that mission during the insanity of 2020 when it would have been easy to cut corners to stay afloat as a business. Not only were we able to survive 2020 as a small business without letting any employee go, but we actually grew through it! It’s evident to us that building value and hope in people through coffee was the primary reason for that growth.
the bridge fund collective
Our most recent milestone has been creating and launching the Bridge Fund Collective. In short, the Bridge Fund is about spreading kindness and helping provide people with a leg up in their time of need. It was created as a support system for our employees when they have needs related to health, housing, transportation, or education. Though we are continuing to build and refine the Bridge Fund, we truly believe this model is revolutionary and can change the way an entire industry cares for its people.
We don’t believe in stopping short of anything but excellence. That is embodied in the Bridge Fund Collective, our coffee, our employment model, and so much more. The biggest driver for expanding our operations (see below) when the timing has been right, is our belief that the more people we can hire and help discover the best of who they are, the more we have succeeded!
to learn more about the bridge fund
continued growth
Any expansion we consider must be done strategically to preserve our mission and culture.
Each Bridge City has a long story behind it. No location came without its fair share of meetings, planning, evaluating, and more. Among the many questions that must be asked, the most important is “How could this new location further our vision and mission?” Check out our different locations to find out how we answered that question.
