By ANDREW LEE
Students in Gates’ Hall can now enjoy a cup of coffee between classes in the newest campus coffee shop, run by local roaster Gimme! Coffee.
While the Cornell branch — which opened last Thursday in Gates’ Workplace Atrium, located at the entrance of the building — is smaller than its sister locations in Ithaca and New York City, manager Nikolas Mateer said that he was “very happy” with current levels of business at Gates Hall.
“Things have been getting busier every day,” Mateer said. “We’re getting the impression that once more people know about the location, things will pick up even more.”
According to Mateer, Gimme! Coffee is dedicated to maintaining a positive relationship with its growers, while still diversifying the coffee flavors on offer. Blends at the Gates’ building site range from more familiar flavours like French Roast to exotic ones like Ethiopia Limu and Malawi Mzuzu.
“We have a whole department devoted to sourcing the coffee specifically,” Mateer said. “A lot of other companies roast their beans to make sure they’re consistent across the world, so they end up buying much
larger lots whereas Gimme! focuses on having a direct relationship with a lot of its growers.”
According to Mateer, while Gimme! Coffee works with farmers from across the world, it also partners with local businesses like Krums Corners Bakery in Ithaca.
“We also roast our coffee at Krums Corners right here in Ithaca,” he said. “Each of our location sends back tasting notes back to the roastery to ensure the coffee tastes as intended and to be tweaked if necessary.”
Though plans for the coffee shop have been brewing for over a year, the University announced its construction near the end of July, according to Mateer.
“I started working at Gimme! a little bit over a year ago, and they were already talking about opening a location in Gates Hall,” Mateer said. “We’re very happy with what we have now.”
Mateer adds that he and his staff were still determining how many and which types of coffee were most popular among Cornellians.
“At our State Street location, we have our Leftist Espresso and Decaf Espresso blends,” Mateer said. “We don’t [have] them at the Gates location yet, but if there’s enough interest, it’s possible we could.”
Cornell students say they have already expressed their interest in visiting Gimme Coffee.
“This summer I spent a lot of time going to Gimme Coffee,” said Millicent Kastenbaum ’16. “It’s a business that started locally, and the coffee is fantastic! That’s why I’m excited there’s a Gimme! of our very own on campus!”
Charlie Fraioli ’16 echoed Kastenbaum’s sentiments, saying he looked forward to visiting Gimme!.
“It’s way better than Starbucks and pretty much the same price,” Fraioli said. “I spend a lot of time going to their downtown locations, but now I don’t have to.”