Hometown Heroes: Q&A with Grit Coffee in Charlottesville, VA

While residential Ting Internet provides homes with an incredibly powerful internet connection, we know that entrepreneurs committed to growing their businesses need certain tools and extra support. That’s why we offer Business Fiber Internet with features like static IPs, 24/7 customer support and uptime/bandwidth availability guarantees.¹

Small businesses are the backbone of towns and cities throughout the nation. It’s been amazing to hear some of the unique stories behind the incredible businesses we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know in each Ting town. That’s why we’re excited to share some of those stories and find out what their experience has been like since switching to Ting Business Fiber!

Customer since: 2017
General Manager of Retail Operations: Savannah Wilson-Sims

Tell us a bit about Grit Coffee.

We started off pretty small back in 2008 [on Elliewood near University of Virginia], then we kind of grew from there. We expanded into some other areas in Charlottesville, and in 2020, we actually moved out into Richmond. During that growth period, we also started roasting our own coffee. We have a roastery here in town. We also have a warehouse, and we've merged with Snowing in Space, a cold-brew company that was based in Charlottesville. It's been an interesting journey of growth for us—we’re now at seven locations with the warehouse and the roastery as well.

And where does the name “Grit Coffee” come from?

The name “Grit” comes from the idea of grinding and working towards a goal or a dream…an aspiration. That’s what the founders Brad, Brandon and Dan do on the daily. They really grind, [and through that] they've built this in Charlottesville. And so the name is kind of just an homage to that and our staff [that does the same].

Amazing. So what makes Charlottesville a great place to start a business?

This is a great place to start a business because of the people. Honestly, our customers are fantastic. The Charlottesville community is fantastic. They show great support. We have wonderful regulars, and it's just really fun to be able to have a business in Charlottesville, to get to know the community and also work in it.

Why did Grit Coffee decide to choose Ting Internet?

Brad [Uhl, Grit Coffee co-owner] was actually a residential Ting customer. He was really happy with the service he had at his home and decided that Ting would also be the perfect service provider for the business.

Why is having great Internet important to a business like Grit?

Having great internet at a coffee shop is hugely important. Our point-of-sale system runs off the internet, so having a reliable system where we can process credit card payments and help a customer at the register is really important. And then also for our customers once they're here; a lot of people like to work out of coffee shops. They’ll hold meetings here or have Zoom sessions, especially post pandemic. People want to get out of the house and sit somewhere different. So having fast and reliable internet in the shop is huge. We can offer that to people who are working or studying and also give them a space to hang out, see people and not be stuck at home.

Have you ever had to call Ting customer support? If so, how did it go?

I have, and honestly, it was something I was a little nervous about. I don't think anyone really loves calling internet providers. Usually, you get put on hold, and you're just kind of waiting. That was not my experience with Ting. Someone answered really quickly, and it was, you know, a real person! I didn't have to go through an automated menu forever and hear all of the options. He was able to help me really quickly, and with his help, I was able to troubleshoot and reset the router. And then he actually called back to make sure that everything was running as it should and that we weren't having any issues. Overall, it was a great experience. I would have no trouble volunteering to call Ting customer support!

Tell us (and other businesses) a bit about your experience with the Friends of Ting program that Grit Coffee is a part of.

So, Grit Downtown is part of the Friends of Ting program. We actually receive our Ting Internet at this location free of charge, and in return we have Ting advertising and marketing materials in the shop. It's been a great benefit and super valuable, especially during and post pandemic [with the challenges businesses have faced]. We've been able to provide high-quality internet, gigabit speed internet, and customers can easily learn more about Ting if they're interested in that as well. It’s really been a great perk for our location.

Anything you’d like to add?

We would love to make your next cup of coffee and see you in any of our shops!

This is just one of many stories we hear from our customers about how Ting Internet has made their business more competitive, efficient and easy to manage. Ready to supercharge your business? Get started today!

1. Uptime and bandwidth availability guarantees available with Enterprise Fiber package only.