Compass Coffee is an American coffee roaster based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 2014 and operates in Washington, D.C. and Virginia. , the company has 16 stores.
History
The company was founded by Michael Haft in 2014. Following the Shaw neighborhood store, a second store was opened in the same neighborhood in September 2015. Over the next few years, other stores were opened in Washington DC and Arlington, Virginia. The first drive-through store was opened in October, 2022.
Compass was served in the White House during the Veterans Day Commemoration Speech in 2015.
On October 20, 2017, Compass Coffee founder Michael Haft received the District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce's Community Impact Award at the 2017 Chamber's Choice Gala. On March 31, 2017, Compass Coffee was featured in DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's State of the District Address for jumpstarting the Made in DC movement and creating jobs in DC.
Roasting Pprocess
The Compass roasting process is the first to use NASA technology for consistent brewing. It involves a Proportional Integral Derivative controller, which was developed by NASA to automate manual tasks and standardize operating procedures.
Impact of COVID-19
Due to the impact of COVID-19, Compass laid off 150 of its 189 employees in March 2020. The remaining staff had their pay cut to $15 per hour, and about 20 of the staff assisted in the construction of a new roasting facility.