4.9 million TikTok followers. Another 200 thousand on Instagram and YouTube. The world’s most popular coffee influencer is global sensation Morgan Eckroth, founder of Morgan Drinks Coffee. Now she’s launching her first-ever coffee in collaboration with San Francisco’s Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters, and Sprudge has the exclusive first look.
The new brand is called, simply, Morgan Drinks Coffee, featuring eye-catching bag design by Sarika Kumar and a coffee program developed by Eckroth and Wrecking Ball co-founders Trish Rothgeb and Nick Cho, himself a TikTok star with 1.4 million followers and counting under the moniker Your Korean Dad.
MDC launches with two distinct offerings: “Duet”, a two-bean blend named for the popular TikTok collaboration format, as well as a decaf offering. These coffees will be sold direct to consumers from Eckroth’s website, MorganDrinksCoffee.com, with a coming expansion to social media marketplaces planned in the coming weeks. Both coffees are built for filter and espresso, and Duet will launch with Guatemala Huehuetenango Los Dos Socios and Ethiopia Sidama.
In addition to her enormous social media following, Eckroth is a professional barista and US Barista Championship competitor with a love of coffee that runs deep. Here’s more on the project from Eckroth:
“Throughout my time both in coffee and online, I’ve always wanted to share stories. Frequently that takes the form of sharing the narratives of others, whether customers or other baristas. However, I wanted to share a moment that left a huge impact on my life with others, and I wanted to share it in a more tangible way than just words.
“My first time drinking coffee was when I found the cafe where I started my barista journey. I have a very vivid memory of the flavors and feelings I found in that first cup. Tucked away in the front window seat, a splash of cream, and a with big pile books was the way I experienced this coffee for many years and it stuck with me. When I entered into talks with Wrecking Ball about developing my own coffee, I knew I wanted to pass a slice of that memory on to others if I could. Creating a coffee that was familiar, comforting, and versatile was my goal.
“And versatility is extremely important because I want people to taste the things I did years ago, yes, but I also want them to find new and different ways to enjoy it. I don’t want to make any rules on how you should enjoy this coffee because truly, I believe coffee should be enjoyed exactly the way you like it. I can point you in a direction and give suggestions, that’s my job as a barista, but it comes down to what memories and feelings YOU want to get out of this coffee experience.
“So ultimately that’s what I’m most excited for, hearing and seeing how other people enjoy this coffee because as much as I want to impart my own narrative… I can’t wait to see what new stories are formed.”
Coffees are roasted and shipped through Wrecking Ball’s existing systems, at least for now. “There’s a bunch of stuff we have up our sleeve after the initial launch,” Cho tells Sprudge, hinting at a coming syrup collaboration for coffee drinkers to play along with Eckroth’s recipes at home. “We’re a pretty small boutique roastery,” says Cho, “but there’s a decent chance that the volume of this project will exceed our capacity, in which case I’ve lined up an additional production facility for us to use.”
For now, Sprudge readers have the early word on this new project, which can be ordered directly from Eckroth’s website beginning Saturday, December 5th at 8am PST. Follow Morgan Eckroth on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for more details.
@morgandrinkscoffee Coffee drinks: part 1 of idk how many! #barista #baristalife #foryoupage #foryou #fyp
Jordan Michelman (@suitcasewine) is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge, and the winner of a 2020 James Beard Award for journalism. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.
Photos courtesy of Morgan Drinks Coffee.
