If you’ve ever been to Dutch Bros., then you know there is a certain culture among the staff. Every time you drive up and roll down your window you are greeted with a smile and an enthusiastic (and simultaneously laid back) “What’s up?” You might think this is just a coincidence, or that all Dutch Bros. coffee workers are made as hippie robots in the same factory, but this was intended by the creators. If you’re like me then you see someone who just has a “Dutch Bros.” attitude and you imagine them working there. There is no question that this is one of the most popular coffee places in the ‘Springs…  As I sit here writing this I can hear our librarians coincidentally talking about the new location on the corner of Austin Bluffs and Academy. 

Dutch Bros. was started by Travis Boersma and his brother who built the company from the ground up. Keeping their ideals in mind and what that meant for the culture of Dutch Bros., they created the largest privately-owned coffee drive-through company in the US.  Located in seven states (including Colorado, #blest) with 202 stores, all 2,000 Dutch Bros. employees are held at the same standard. The staff is trained to treat every customer like a hipster from another mister, whether it is 5:30 in the morning or 10 o’clock at night. Boersma commented in a recent interview that music is one of their ingredients in their delicious coffee mixes. If you have ever pulled up to these blue and white windmill buildings you can hear the beating of the music from a few cars back. This and other principles held up by the owner, who looks like he just pulled up in his Subaru with a Patagonia hat on, is what keeps the bro-rista spirit alive.

The interview process for the Dutch Mafia is far from usual. Employees ask you questions which might seem out of the ordinary, but they are all intended to gauge whether you fit with the high energy coffee environment. One of the employees working at the Colorado Avenue location, Sophie, had a lot to say about the interview process. “I was in a group interview of 30 people and as we were interviewed we were asked questions like ‘What’s your spirit animal?’ or ‘What’s the craziest prank you’ve ever played on someone?’ It really was just like trying to understand our personalities rather than our work abilities because you can write [about] that on your resume, but as far as your personality goes, they really just wanted to see if they (the people being interviewed) fit with Dutch Culture or are the kind of people who really like talking to other people, are friendly, like to laugh, are creative, that kind of stuff,” she said.

Sophie who has worked at Dutch Bros. for almost a year now has the bro-rista attitude down. “Dutch Bros. culture is all about people.” said Sophie. The three main foundations that Dutch Bros. attributes itself to are speed, quality, and service. “We are encouraged to remember our customer’s names, we’re encouraged to meet their families that are in the car, we’re encouraged to remember their stories and understand what’s going on with their lives.” Sophie proved this as well as she went on to describe one of her loyal customer’s name, husband’s name and family. She also went as far as knowing that her customer was having a hard day.  “Dutch Bros. culture is great because we’re encouraged to give away free drinks if someone is having a really rough day. So it’s very much about the people, that’s why we’re here, we want to make the experience as good as possible.” If you ask me, Sophie sounds more like a Dutch angel sent down from coffee heaven. Her favorite drink is an iced almond milk latte with honey and cinnamon. According to Sophie, working at Dutch Bros. is as fun as it sounds! “As an employee you dance all the time. Its super fun, I love it. It’s one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had. We have a baseline of rules that we have to follow, but other than that we get to goof around and we don’t have to wear uniforms– Just a Dutch Bros. t-shirt. It’s about having fun and serving the customers and making those connections,” said Sophie.  

What does it take to be one of those few Dutch Bros. employees you might ask? Sophie made it simple adding, “the most important things are the ability to hold conversations with people and to stay interested. It’s important to know who you are and even if you’re young (it’s important) to have a sense of self. You have to love to laugh, you have to love to have fun, you have to be disciplined, and then [have] just an overall attitude of love towards people and towards yourself. Other than that it doesn’t take a lot, it’s special personalities, special young people that love to love people, love to have fun, and can make a really good quality drink.”  

So if you find yourself talking to strangers as if they’re your best friends, collecting stickers to put on your Nalgene, or wearing beanies a good amount of the time, then you might belong to the Dutch Mafia.