After hearing about Cup From Above I happened to be in the area and decided to drop by. Ruby and I walked up to see people inside drinking coffee but a closed sign hanging in the window. When I turned to walk away, one of the owners opened the door and welcomed me in. They say first impressions are lasting impressions and true to that Adam is probably one of the most genuine guys you will ever meet.
Adam nervously admitted to me that he is a coffee novice and that while his star barista had gone home he would try his best to make me a great cup of coffee. I wouldn't ever say I'm a coffee snob myself and for me there is more to coffee than the drink itself. When served with a warm smile by a person with a story to tell it instantly gains extra merit points in my books. The coffee was actually pretty good and best of all Adam is one of the most genuine guys you will meet even so far as insisting this cup was on the house.
I love cup from Above's story, you see Adam is a disability Support worker and his dream for Cup From Above is to make it that place where there are no barriers of prejudice everyone is welcome and equal. Passionate about his work amongst the disabled community it shines through this humble little shop. Art work donated by local artists line the wall which you can purchase with proceeds going towards buying instruments for the students of Aspley Special School. There is also a donation jar for this and Cup From Above also hold live music nights to help raise money for those instruments.
I was excited to be told that also next week a talented artist Adam works with as a support worker would be exhibiting his art for a month long. I was also invited to come and meet Peter Rowe and his mother Betty and it was a pretty humbling experience to have the opportunity to meet someone so amazing.
While I was invited back I also got to meet Chris the barista of the shop. Chris is just as warm as Adam and even attentively listened to Ruby's queries about how they made the latte art. Chris even went so far as to let her behind the counter so he could give her a mini lesson on how a hot cup of jo is made. He even let her sprinkle her own baby cino which got some extra browny points from her. It's things like this that make Cup From Above seem like that home away from home, a place you can just catch up with friends without any kind of pretension.
When I asked Adam about why he had not moved from his sunshine coast home to Brisbane I was even more touched. He told me he lived a somewhat of a transient life between the shop and his home on the Sunshine Coast and that he's got a great group of friend's helping him out with a place to sleep when he's in town as leaving the coast would meaning leaving his job as a disability support worker to his current clients like Peter. If ever you were to find a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve this is probably that guy.
Sure I could talk about how they use only the best milk, coffee, equipment and are super passionate about coffee... I think though that's not the point of a place like this. It's the community aspect of Cup From Above that is the strong pulling point for me. This isn't just any old coffee shop this is even in it's early days a community shop. It's very apparent that Adam and Chris are creating this place as haven with a good hearted vibe.
If you just want coffee and that's it you will get it here. However if you are looking for more like a place where you can feel like you belong this is definitely it. I most certainly feel better off for having experienced such an amazing community shop. And if you are interested in a coffee with a good serving of community spirit get over to this beautiful shop and support these guys.
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