How the co-owners of Others Coffee would spend a perfect day in D.C.

In D.C. Dream Day, we ask some of the District’s most beloved residents to tell us how they would spend an ideal day in the District.

Others Coffee is co-owned by Brian Raupp and Ashley May. (Brown, Tiairra)
Ashley May and Brian Raupp’s relationship is centred on coffee. Others Coffee’s co-founders founded their small roasting company in 2020, during the pandemic, leveraging their experience as baristas at Washington, D.C.-area coffee shops.

“Others is about connecting people through coffee,” Raupp explains. “I believe that as we mature, our otherness will become more apparent. It is not a matter of us.”

Raupp is a rapper (under the moniker Brian Rapp), graphic designer, and barista at Somewhere, a Navy Yard-based streetwear retailer and coffee shop. May is a self-taught artist whose primary mediums of expression are painting and illustration. The soon-to-wed couple collaborated on the design of their whimsical cereal-box-inspired coffee packaging.

They turned their coffee ritual into an Instagram account in 2017 called Rabbit and Fox (now known as @otherslovescoffee), where they shared their experiences as baristas and coffee lovers, as well as their visits to various cafes.

“We’ve always wanted to expand [Rabbit and Fox] but weren’t sure how until the pandemic struck and we were sitting in our apartment trying to decide what to call ourselves,” May explains.

Others’ website sells beans from Nicaragua and Ethiopia, as well as a variety of coffee paraphernalia. Coffee beans are roasted at Songbyrd Music House, a relationship Raupp developed over the years while performing at the venue. Others Coffee is also available at Elle and Somewhere in Mount Pleasant. They intend to open their own coffee shop.

On their ideal day, when they aren’t juggling their careers as baristas and parenting their toddler, Jackie, the Navy Yard residents would spend time at home watching their favourite shows, visiting coffee shops throughout the city, and dining at their neighbourhood favourites.

Brian Raupp: When the three of us awoke, no one would be in a hurry to get somewhere. It’s quite adorable to awaken to a small baby. Jackie is probably the most adorable and serene in the morning, and it’s a priceless moment.

We’d brew our coffee and make pancakes and bacon. We’d watch HBO Max’s “Summer Camp Island.” It has a multi-layered sense of humour that both of us can appreciate. Jackie, I believe, enjoys looking at anything on a screen.

Following that, we’d probably go for a walk around Navy Yard, which we enjoy doing. We’ve been dying to take Jackie to a museum to see how he reacts. We’ve discussed taking him to the National Portrait Gallery, as he genuinely enjoys looking at art.

May: We would visit a coffee shop before or after the museum.

Raupp: Even though Elle sells our coffee, we have yet to visit to soak up the atmosphere — that is, sit in their cafe and have a latte — so we would go there. It’s a lovely space.

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