Oddly Correct

What would it look like to treat employees like people, and not just a line item on your budget? . It’s that time again. The first Wednesday of each month, we close the shop and all take an extra paid vacation day to chill and share a meal (masked and distant of course.) We’ve found it to be an important rhythm in the fight to keep our heads clear and our spirits up as we do our best to continue serving our community amidst such a strange time. It’s one of the ways we have fo...und to use the dollars you spend at Oddly to show appreciation for all who work with us. . So thanks for supporting us, and showing you care as much as we do by putting your dollars into local small businesses who stand for more than just growth, profit and image. See y’all Thursday! . Art (on our bar) by @natalie__michele See more

Online ordering: As the cold weather begins to creep in to KC, it's easy to want to head inside a cozy cafe and sit with a hot beverage to bring some warmth to your chilled bones. But let's not forget that we're in (the middle of? not yet probably!) a pandemic, and case rates and positivity rates in Kansas City are sadly continuing to trend upward. . . We would love to be able to welcome you back into our cafe and serve you in the way we do best, but we feel an even greater r...esponsibility to protect the health of our community and crew. Even if we all don't land in the same spot regarding the best way to approach dealing with this issue, at Oddly we think it is best to err on the side of kindness and caution. So for now, we'll continue to serve to-go only! . . But don't forget we have online ordering available at http://oddly.shop to make your pickup experience fast and easy. Order online, pickup your coffee and biscuits, and enjoy them while sticking your feet underneath your sleeping dog to keep them warm. Am I the only one that does that? See more

A customer’s question last week got me thinking about priorities. How can Oddly achieve things that for many companies seem like far off aspirations? A closer examination of our company would reveal what is clear to the rest of us here: our ability to do the things we do (like guarantee a minimum $18/hr wage, provide company paid primary health care, paid sick leave, pursue sustainable packaging or not up charge for dairy alternatives) is a simple matter of prioritization. Ou...r cafe was built for less than the sticker price of many cafe's espresso machines, much of it with our own hands and sweat. Our monthly marketing budget is $100. Many of our initial equipment purchases were used or second-hand that we made work as long as we possibly could (until a month ago, our espresso grinder was one that @petelicata won at USBC waaaay back.) We don't have branded delivery vehicles, but use Mike's '96 Blazer or Gage's trusty Subaru to get coffee where it needs to go. Improvements to our space have been small and incremental. In short, we put our money FIRST where we think it matters most: our people and our coffee. . That's not to say having a fancy cafe, nice shiny new equipment, marketing campaigns etc are bad themselves, or that we'll never have those things. But for us to make the other stuff happen FIRST, these things come next. And we're not even where we want to be yet in terms of taking care of the crew at Oddly. So thanks for supporting us. The continued support of our community and further growth of Oddly means growth for everyone at Oddly, and an even better experience for you each time you drink our coffee or eat our food. See more

NEW DRINK What's the most un-Oddly drink we could make? Ok, let's do that and make it kickass. Presenting the Pumpkin & White Cocoa Butter Latte. Real pumpkin, spices and white cocoa butter. It's the vegan lovechild of a PSL and a white mocha. Yes, VEGAN white mocha pumpkin spice latte. At Oddly. So anyone can enjoy this beverage with whole milk or dairy alternatives (which we don't upcharge for btw.) Cheers, friends!

Tomorrow at 4:15p CST, Mike will take part in a live panel discussion as part of @sca_us and @baristaguild ‘s Bloom event focusing on living wages and income in the coffee service industry. It’s a super cool group of people, so register, tune in and listen!

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, and that means paid vacation shift for the entire crew. We take this day every month to shut down, share a meal and catch up. We’ve found it to be extremely valuable these past couple months, and appreciate you all supporting us in a way that makes it possible. See you all Thursday!

Got a new caffeine-free option for the fall. @africatuesday mulled some @louisburgcidermill cider with orange, cinnamon and allspice and it is lovely. Still serving to-go for now, but it tastes just as good and stays beautifully warm in a glass jar.

Shoutout to anyone still repping one of the original jar coozies from 2019. These things represent how much we’ve learned through the past 11 months of living without single use cups. The light blue is lovely and looks great on the ‘gram, but man did they get coffee-stained easily. Hence the newer all black sleeves. But Mike is preserving this one as best he can. . . We’re still learning how to do things better every day, and we’re thankful to everyone who has been on board a...nd been so positive about steps we’re trying to take to break harmful habits we’ve developed as coffee drinkers. Thanks for being excited about change, and doing your part by supporting our effort, bringing back clean jars and telling your friends. The most energizing part has been seeing our customers excited about supporting small businesses that care about the same things they do. Cheers to baby steps and doing the work! See more

Happy to have @kylewheelock take over roasting full time at Oddly Correct. That means we’ve got the capacity and time to bring in some new wholesale partners! If you like: -excellent coffees at a good price to you and great prices to producers -true small businesses, owned by people committed to the ethical treatment and fair pay of all people in their employ, as well as the pursuit of environmentally sustainable practices -piña coladas -free shipping on orders over 25 lbs... -dedicated training and education for your team ...then hit us up. We love being a part of other people’s pursuit of excellence all over the US and making their thing the best it can be. . Got a favorite spot that you think needs some Oddly? Tag em in the comments or let us know and we’ll reach out! See more

It’s been over 10 months since we first reached out to the community of baristas and coffee workers in KC about their experience trying to make a living. The feedback we received helped fuel conversations at Oddly and beyond about fair wages and compensation in the coffee industry, and spurred us on to commit to living wages for all our employees. . . But now we want to know how things have changed in light if COVID-19, which has hit people in the service industry in particular quite hard. If you work in coffee in the KC area, take the survey and share your experience. We hope to gain insight about what has helped or hurt this community of people through an overall challenging period for most people, and gain insight to continue the conversation surrounding fair and ethical employment practices. Thanks friends!