Rushing through the Grand Entry after a hectic morning, with an expensive Starbucks drink in hand, a Westminster student might glance forlornly at the spot where the former Pawprint Coffee stood last year, wondering if the coffee shop would return.

Luckily for Westminster students, their favorite coffee shop is returning as Cuplifting Coffee, with a renewed mission to create community through their business, while still providing a high quality product that it convenient and affordable.

“The mission of Cuplifting Coffee is to provide a convenient and less expensive option to students and faculty in a manner that establishes community,” explain Isaac Kaup and Blake Jewell, seniors in Entrepreneurship class.

In order to achieve this, they have set an ambitious goal to run a successful business while also learning skills that they can actually use in college and beyond.
“One main goal for Cuplifting Coffee is to encourage a learning environment outside of the classroom for students and try to help teachers know that learning does not only have to take place in the classroom but outside also. I think that is really important because students can get tired of the same thing every day and going outside of the routine will entice students to want to learn more,” Jewell said.

Also, the Cuplifting managers are actively looking to learn from the triumphs and failures of Pawprint Coffee so that they can better accomplish their mission which is to serve the Westminster community.

“We hope to be more organized and efficient with the space we are given because we share space with other organizations within Westminster. By doing this we hope to prevent less conflict with our partners so we can work together to help better the Westminster community,” Kaup explains.
Like any good business, Cuplifting is also learning from past popular drink choices in order to expand their products and appeal to a wider range of customers.

“Cuplifting will be offering different flavors of Chai this year and we will also be offering different smoothie combinations,” explain Jewell and Kaup.
In addition to expanding their menu, Cuplifting is committed to premium products so that students can expect the same quality of drink than from any competing coffee shop.

“We are a reliable source for premium coffee because we only order coffee that is grade 80 or higher out of a 100 point scale. That being said students can know that our product is a quality brand,” said Kaup.

As Kaup mentioned, Cuplifting coffee is more than just a coffee shop, it is a brand that seeks to unite the Westminster community over a shared interest in quality coffee products, therefore truly lifting up it’s customers with every cup.