Café Campesino opens shop on Georgia Southwestern's campus

Fair Trade, organic coffee company Café Campesino has partnered with Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) to open its first branded coffee shop on the University campus.

Located in the Marshall Student Center at GSW, the new Café Campesino Coffee Shop carries the same specialty coffee beverages available at Café Campesino’s flagship shop, which is about 1.5 miles away at 134 W. Lamar Street in historic downtown Americus.

Customers already familiar with Café Campesino’s specialty coffee menu will find the same sustainably crafted lattes, cold brew, frappés and smoothies inside the new GSW location. The Americus community is invited to enjoy Café Campesino on GSW’s campus any time, as well as any of GSW’s dining services.

“Having their beverages available on campus makes it so much easier for me to grab my favorite coffee in between classes, when I’m studying, or whenever I need a quick pick-me-up!” said Jordan Brown, a senior very familiar with Café Campesino’s downtown location who is planning to graduate in December.

Bringing its signature beverages to the GSW campus is an opportunity for Café Campesino to thank a community that has supported its flagship coffee shop for more than 10 years.

“We’ve been so grateful to have GSW students and faculty support our in-town coffee shop all these years. We are thrilled to finally serve them directly on campus,” said company CEO Tripp Pomeroy.

Showcasing the Americus community and collaborating with local businesses has been a priority for GSW President Neal Weaver, Ph.D.

“Joining forces with local businesses such as Café Campesino is a positive thing for the University, the business and the community,” said Dr. Weaver. “The institutions that are going to become incredibly valuable to their local community are the ones who have great partnerships where the individuals and businesses are engaged and supporting the institution. We are so grateful to expand this partnership, and we look forward to the smell of locally roasted coffee in our hallways.”

GSW’s second annual Day of Giving, a 24-hour giving challenge, is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10. Café Campesino’s downtown location will generously donate 10% of all sales that day during the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. to the University.

The two entities will celebrate the new GSW location with an 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting on Thursday, Sept. 17, just one week after the University’s Day of Giving. The community is invited to attend.

Founded in 1998, Café Campesino sources 100% of its coffee from small-scale, organic coffee farmers through one of the most sustainable supply chains in the specialty coffee industry. All of Café Campesino’s coffee is fair trade and organic, and the company purchases from the same groups of farmers year after year.

Café Campesino applies that same commitment to sustainability when sourcing ingredients for its beverages. It uses Holy Kakow for sustainable syrups; Rishi Tea for hot-and-iced teas and World Centric’s certified compostable products for its beverage to-go ware. It also supplies GSW with Georgia-based Montane Sparkling Spring Water that uses water from a natural spring in nearby Harris County.

The Cafe Campesino coffee house employs many of the same friendly faces who have worked at GSW for years, but operations are now managed by Aladdin Food Management Services. Aladdin began working with GSW in July.

In addition to its Americus locations, Café Campesino also sells freshly roasted coffee and allied products to restaurants, coffee shops and grocers across the United States. It also ships coffee directly to consumers via its website: www.cafecampesino.com.

GSW Coffee Shop Hours

Visit the Café Campesino location inside the GSW Marshall Student Center. It is open: Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.- 8 p.m.; Fridays 8 a.m.- 12 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.-8 p.m. It is closed on Saturdays. It is closed Sept. 4-7 for the Labor Day holiday.