BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Golden Cup Coffee on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo has been serving the Western New York community for 10 years.
“We started off down at Jefferson and Cayuga, and then moved up to Jefferson and Utica,” co-owner of the black-owned business Larry Stitts said.
According to Stitts the business was sparked by a trip to Cameroon Africa.
“I met the mayor of the capital city there who was a coffee farmer. And one day he said, you should do coffee,” Stitts said. So he did.
“I recall the owners in their garage trying to perfect these coffee beans," owner of That Brown Bag, a business directory for black and brown owned businesses, Shantelle Patton said. "And to see them move from the garage of their homes to where they are now, lets me know that there is the opportunity for black businesses to open, stand, thrive, and maintain.”
Patton founded "That Brown Bag" in 2018 to help consumers and other business owners locate black-owned businesses throughout Western New York. Right now, more than 400 black-owned business are a part of the directory.
“I get continual submissions, the support from the community, the business owners, [is] overwhelming. It was more than I ever expected,” Patton said.
Patton says her database helps to amplify black-owned business that were previously overlooked. And she’s hoping that as her database continues to grow, that people will continue to support black businesses.
“Come in and buy a bag of coffee, that will keep the doors open," Larry Stitts said. "
Patton's directory can be found on Amazon and on Facebook.
