On a recent trip to see my dad, I discovered Hilltop Packs Coffee, a family-owned business focused on creating ultralight hiking products and locally roasted coffee. My dad’s health is declining and I have been traveling home to Western Pennsylvania over the past several months visiting healthcare facilities from Morgantown, West Virginia to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On my last trip, my dad told me what he loved most about life. He loved treating everything as an adventure, seeking out new things, and being occasionally disappointed and delighted. He asked me what I wanted at that moment. I said that I wanted a great cup of coffee rn. I had been drinking the finest that hospitals offer and longed for my coffee routine at my house. I searched for coffee near me on Google. The first hit: Greene County’s only coffee roaster, Hilltop Packs Coffee.
I got so much more than a great cup of coffee. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted. The person asked me if I wanted to take a tour. My interest was piqued. I thought that I was walking into a coffee shop. I was actually walking into a family-ran business briming with pride and enthusiasm. I soon learned that the Hilltop Packs Coffee also makes lightweight equipment for hiking, makes and designs their products inhouse, and have areas for coffee roasting, sulimation printing, and sewing. I saw stacks of outbound orders ready for the pickup by USPS, FedEx, and UPS. This place had a lot of energy. It was alive.
I was given a sample cup to try their daily brews. They serve drip coffee and rotate what you can get in person each day. I tried Bean Juice, Covered Bridge, Bucktown Elbow, Coal Dust, and The Office blends. I enjoyed them all. It was so great to have a great cup of coffee after weeks of hospital and hotel coffee.
I suspect that this shop sells mostly online. I took a look at their website and they have great marketing and social presence. It was really a joy to see their home and then see how they present online. I ended up picking up some coffee to take back home.
On the tour, they took me into the coffee roasting area. I saw the usual equipment, supplies, and was surprised to see a K-cup filling machine. I ahven’t seen this too many times at local roaster but I think it is a great idea to get people into their coffee or add on to their camping products order. The biggest delight was their sign hanging in the coffee roasting area: Be Brave Enough to Suck at Something New. It gave me a Ted Lasso Believe vibe, but it was truly inspiring. When my brother came into town, I made sure to show him the sign and get him a fresh cup of coffee. I was showing him around the place like I had been going their my whole life. When we were there, someone flashed through showing everyone the new beanie that they designed. I could tell that they were proud of the work and they just wanted to show it around to everyone customer or not. The beanie as I understand was from many trials and attempts and this one was a success. Be brave.
My dad was right. You can easily treat anything as an adventure. There’s always something new to discover if you try and shift your perspective around. I am so happy that I sought out something new. Not only did I walk away with some great coffee, but I also brought back a bit of inspiration from the Hilltop Packs Coffee experience. Find something new.