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Coffee Times Drive-Thru brews up a “2020 Small Business of the Year Award”

Coffee Times Drive-Thru brews up a “2020 Small Business of the Year Award”

Dec 21, 20202 min read

The Pima County Small Business Commission has rewarded Coffee Times Drive-Thru with a 2020 Small Business of the Year Award — a well-deserved accomplishment.

This year’s awards program comes at a time when just about every, if not all, local businesses are experiencing some type of struggle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Coffee Times was recognized for brewing up a pragmatic environment with its employees and having a positive impact on the community.

Coffee Times Drive-thru
Coffee Times Drive-thru (Credit: Brielle Farmer)

The Small Business Commission mentioned the following about Coffee Times in a release:

“A family-owned drive-thru coffee shop in central Tucson dedicated to the sourcing of local supplies, raising money for charities, and supporting its employees and community during the pandemic.”

“This is a huge honor,” said Coffee Times in a Facebook post, “and we are so grateful and humbled by the continued love and support we receive by this great city.”

Seasonal Iced Pumpkin Pie Macchiato with whip at Coffee Times
Seasonal Iced Pumpkin Pie Macchiato with whip at Coffee Times (Credit: Brielle Farmer)

In addition to brewing coffee, the drive-thru has been known for partnering with local charities and organizations by donating both money and coffee to different events.

The love they share with the community is mutually returned, too. Recently, Coffee Times needed to close for a week, putting their employees in a bit of a bind being that they weren’t able to make any tips for a few days.

However, the Tucson community stepped in and offered a helping hand by purchasing gift certificates over the phone, buying items from the online store, and more.

Doesn’t that just make your heart grow three sizes bigger than it already was?

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If you’ve never gotten your caffeine fix from the coffee spot, which was founded in 1999 by Michael Cripps, his brother Jeremy, and his uncle, David Mannell, the family-owned and operated drive-thru coffee shop can be found on a busy section of Speedway, between Alvernon and Country Club.

Coffee Times is located at 3401 E. Speedway Blvd. For more information, visit coffeetimestucson.com.

Thank you so much Pima County, JoAnn, and all our wonderful customers & employees!!! This is a huge honor, and we are so grateful & humbled by the continued love & support we receive by this great city.

Posted by Coffee Times Drive-Thru on Friday, December 18, 2020

Article written by:

Matt Sterner

Matt Sterner

More about Matt

At a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.

He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.

If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.

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