Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Baughman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in along the Jersey Shore, but not the pretty parts. My backyard was a lagoon and on the other side of the lagoon was a marshland. It was messy and sometimes smelled bad, but I quickly learned that it was a place of intense life. Without the marshland, there would be far less life in the ocean, air, and land. Weird things live in a marshland. Since that time, I’ve been drawn to social estuaries—places where worlds come together.
Union is established to be a social estuary, connecting people of different backgrounds, life stages, and sectors who care about the city of Dallas. Coffee can be the catalyst that brings us together so that we can bring life to the places we are from.
By its very organization, Union is a social estuary—operating in the liminal space between commerce, non-profit and religion. We were started by the United Methodist Church and have worship gatherings that meet on a regular basis, but also offer significant programming without religious content. In five years, Union has given life to me, the city of Dallas, the church and beyond.
Has it been a smooth road?
Starting something new always comes with its challenges. We wrestled, for the first several years, with our identity as we sought to pursue our mission while opening ourselves up to be defined by Dallas and its needs. We’ve learned a lot in the process.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Union Coffee story. Tell us more about the business.
Union calls out customers to become change agents. It starts with a cup of coffee—we dedicate 10% of coffee sales to local causes and thank customers when they make their purchase for being generous. Regulars at Union start attending events and then living out our core values through things like Capes 4 Kids. (On a monthly basis, we convert our coffee shop into a cape-making factory, crank out as many kid-sized capes as we can and then deliver them, in costume, to children in area hospitals).
We are constantly putting people into leadership positions at Union (we program way more than we are staffed for because of the amazing community of volunteers). Those leaders develop skills and confidence. A real win for us is when those leaders then apply the skill and confidence they develop at Union to the world beyond Union.
Also, our pour-overs and espresso are super tasty.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think independent coffee shops are looking for ways to further embed themselves in the local community. It’s an important way that we can distinguish ourselves from the Starbucks wave and help keep economic development in our communities. Union has been a leader in this movement and are among the best in Dallas for community engagement.
That said, we’ve got work to do. There’s a great culture of outstanding coffee in Dallas that further sets independent coffee shops apart from Starbucks. As coffee quality continues to increase, Union has honestly been playing catch up over the past couple years, When we open our new locations, we’ll be among the top quality coffee shops in Dallas and are taking steps to make that a reality.
Contact Info:
- Website: Uniondallas.org
- Email: coffee@uniondallas.org
- Instagram: @uniondallas
- Facebook: Facebook.com/uniondallas
- Twitter: @uniondallas
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