Summit Coffee Turns ‘Shock’ To Action After Asheville Store Destroyed By Flooding – CoffeeTalk

Summit Coffee CEO Brian Helfrich received a shocking text on September 27 as Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina. The Davidson-based company’s location in Asheville’s River Arts District was completely submerged, with the French Broad River flooding and the café’s wall collapsing. The RAD location, Summit’s second-busiest café, was the first to be submerged. The economy in Asheville shut down overnight, and the entire service industry was affected. Summit has launched a campaign where 100% of proceeds from online orders will support the barista team, with 1,400 bags of coffee sold in the first 24 hours amounting to $20,000 for the Asheville baristas. A van filled with food, water, and other items has brought supplies for employees. Summit will work with the franchise owners to determine next steps for the 1,600-square-foot space, which was leased, and its future will depend on whether the landlord chooses to rebuild. The riverside district had been transformed over the years, but it is now back to square one. A second Summit Coffee café in downtown Asheville appears to have survived the storm, as the city’s downtown is largely unscathed.

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