PORTLAND, Ore. — If you've ever driven through a Dutch Bros coffee stand, you've probably noticed those Broistas (yes, that's what they're actually called) have a lot of energy.
Some of that might be explained by the caffeine, but there's also a culture of positivity that runs through the company. And a lot of that is taught at the company's annual culture event, COACHA.
COACHA is, of course, only for Dutch Bros employees. But this year, they let me sneak in, to see what it's all about.
It's basically part music festival, part motivational speaking conference, part food festival, and part Instagram photoshoot. The Veterans Memorial Coliseum was filled with all kinds of fun, Insta-worthy activations, like a ball pit, and a neon rainbow tunnel. Then outside on the plaza, there were food trucks, ice cream, and multiple Dutch Bros stands, to fuel the day. I asked many Broistas how much coffee they'd drank, and the main answer I received was, "too much."
This year, there were 2,500 Dutch Bros employees at COACHA, from seven different states, including Nevada, California, and Colorado. The point of the day is really to get all those Broistas on the same page, to share hopes and dreams and inspirational messages, hear from the company's leaders... and of course, take cool pictures and Boomerangs to post on social media.
Now, if you're wondering whether or not an event like this works for Dutch Bros, and gets all the workers on the same page... Just watch the video, and look at how long the line is for DutchWear (aka Dutch Bros merchandise).