SEATTLE -- When Nick and Brenden Martin were driving home from the Tri-Cities one Thanksgiving, the brothers brainstormed an idea to help local people find local, independent coffee shops. Tired of seeing long lines at some of their favorite coffee houses, they decided to make the Joe Coffee app.
The app finds a local coffee shop near your location and lets you order via mobile.
"We think independent coffee provides so much more than just a cup of coffee," said Brenden Martin, co-founder of Joe Coffee. "It's a whole experience."
For example, at Cafe Avole you can find jebena, which is an Ethiopian staple. A jebena is a container made of pottery that is used to brew and serve coffee. In Ethiopian fashion, the pot is meant to help with conversation -- the first cup is the strongest, the second is made with re-used coffee beans, and the third is meant to take on the road. It's one of a few --if not the only -- places you can get it in Seattle. Plus, it's one of the six local shops currently on the Joe Coffee app.
"This is something that I've noticed my customers have been really happy about," said Solomon Dubie, Cafe Avole owner. "The fact that they live or work across the street or in the neighborhood and it's just the convenience of them saying, 'Oh, gosh. Here's another reminder of why I should support Cafe Avole and also support Joe app because they're also from the community.'"
The app has been in beta testing for a couple of months but to help kick off the official launch, all coffee drinks will be $1 at the two Pegasus locations in Seattle through the week of January 9.
"I think the coffee shop owners have seen the appetite of consumers," says Nick Martin, co-founder of Joe Coffee. "By the time we have a conversation with them, they've already started researching, and usually it's just too expensive, or they just don't feel like it makes sense. This kind of seems to hit the sweet spot for them."
