Charlotte Shields-Rossi | Staff Writer
Although Rylee Prenatt comes to Redhawk Coffee for the convenience of the location, she enjoys the sense of community most.
“It definitely brings more people. It’s definitely benefiting our apartment building,” Prenatt said. “We’re running into each other at the coffee shop and it’s giving people a chance to actually meet.”
Redhawk Coffee just opened a new location on June 1, in Uptown, near the intersection of Fifth and Mittenberg. This is the fourth store in addition to Oakland, Sharpsburg and Carnegie Mellon University.
Before walking into the coffee shop the smell of various pastries baked on site fills the city air. Upon entering, green walls, wooden tables, an assortment of chairs and yellow couches come into sight. Various plants accent the shop.
The new location is based in a neighborhood that has experienced neglect. Redhawk is interested in helping uplift that neighborhood.
“We are really interested in Uptown,” said Joe McMahon, the manager of the location, “serving the needs of the community as it stands right now.”
The coffee shop hands surveys to customers asking them what they would like to see on the menu and in store.
This is an important aspect of building a customer base at the new location.
“We are really interested and open to that aspect too, like community building in Uptown,” McMahon said.
Being located in a community that is rebuilding itself, the store often faces difficulties. This can include people misusing the bathroom.
The cafe does their best to redirect this behavior. By giving those “down on their luck” some assistance.
“We can’t fix everything, but we can give a glass of water,” McMahon said
The cafe tries to set themselves apart from other coffee shops in the area, taking pride in their unique qualities.
Unlike many coffee shops that use a dark roast, Redhawk uses a light to medium roast.
“Everyone is sort of obsessed with the dark roast, but it often ends up tasting kind of burnt,” McMahon said.
Micheal Kuban is the coffee bean roaster for the shop.
“Our roaster really knows what he is talking about,” McMahon said. “He researches the farms. He’s very big into where everything is coming from and making sure they are top notch.”
The beans are sourced from Colombia, Brazil and Ethiopia.
Aside from their distinctive coffee taste, the environment they provide for their baristas is special.
Each barista is allowed to play their own playlist, creating an individualized atmosphere.
“Every store location has its own vibe which is really cool,” Prenatt said.
Natalie Corbin, the operational manager, said that drive and potential are important to her when hiring new baristas. The shop often hires those without previous experience.
When describing other qualities of potential hires, Corbin jokingly said “as many tattoos as possible.”
“We specialize in really good coffee, but you can come in. We do not discriminate if you don’t know anything about coffee. We welcome you,” he said. “The lack of coffee snobbery is my favorite part.”
Before Redhawk had its first permanent location in Oakland in 2019, it started as an espresso truck two years prior. The store was started by husband and wife Braden Walter Jr. and Mary Gonzales as a way to support their children.
“We’re a local mom and pop coffee shop with deep roots in Pittsburgh,” Corbin said.
Corbin said that Gonzales and Walter Jr. lived in a house with Red Hawks around the property. They used that as inspiration when it came time to choose a name for their shop.
As a fellow business owner, Prenatt enjoyed the story behind the coffee shop.
“They started with a food truck, and are here now with four locations, and it’s just a wife and a husband,” Prenatt said. “That’s really cool.”
Corbin shared her excitement about opening a store location near Duquesne University. She said she wants the shop to be a hub for Duquesne students to study or have club meetings.
“If you are looking for a way to support a local business, this is it. If there is anything Duquesne students want to throw at us, or events or things like that, please let us know, because we would definitely be interested in that kind of stuff,” Corbin said.