The early bird beat the long coffee line on Nov. 7 and Nov. 13 when Early Bird Coffee Company visited Milligan University. For the first time ever on Milligan’s campus, an outside vendor was allowed inside to set up and sell their product to students and faculty. Early Bird Coffee Company is a mobile coffee truck based out of Kingsport, Tennessee, that serves the Tri-Cities area.
“We had tried to get on campus before,” said owner and operator of Early Bird Coffee Company Mark Walters. “and we were excited about the opportunity to come when we were approached. Business has been incredible, and students have seemed upbeat and happy to see us. This has been the busiest we have been in a long time.”
Sophomore Class President Nia Ailshie spearheaded the initiative to get Early Bird Coffee Company on campus.
“Early Bird sells at the Kingsport Farmers Market. I would go over the summer, and I always enjoyed their coffee,” said Ailshie. “I noticed they sold at ETSU, so I spoke to the owner about them coming to Milligan because I know the student body would appreciate having high-quality coffee on campus.”
While Ailshie came up with the initial idea to bring the coffee truck to campus, it was not a solo effort. She credited several people who played important roles in helping her bring this idea to life.
“ I called Ashley Roberts over the summer with the idea, and she was eager to help me in any way,” said Ailshie. “Gran Sexton was also an important contributor and assistance in this process. I met with Kit Dotson, Brent Nipper, and Mark Henry to discuss policy and regulations regarding outside vendors coming on campus to sell products. The process took a few months to complete but every person was very cooperative and had the student body’s best interest in mind.”
“I love coffee, and the fact that it was on campus made it so much easier to get my caffeine fix,” laughed Sophomore Claire Smith.
Early Bird Coffee Company will be back on campus in the spring semester, where they are planning on setting up at Milligan every week.
text and pictures by McKenzie Fitzgerald