Bryan Duggan, Technical Services

Bryan Duggan is one of the newest members of the Counter Culture Coffee Technical Services team. He was born in Pampa, TX, to Jim and Jill Duggan but spent the majority of adolescence in Salisbury, NC, after moving east in 1993. Bryan was raised by three moms – two of whom were his older sisters, Layne and Laura. He attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh and graduated with a degree in Business Management, concentrating in Supply Chain Management. He fell in love with coffee soon after moving to Raleigh and began his barista career at Port City Java. Bryan was first introduced to Counter Culture Coffee when he began working at Cafe Helios and has aspired to join the crew ever since. After graduating in 2008, Bryan spent a year traveling – including a road trip to San Francisco where he fell in love with the Bay Area. He also worked for another great Raleigh coffee shop, The Morning Times, and joined the Counter Culture Coffee team in the summer of 2009. He recently moved to Washington, DC, and, when he is not working on coffee equipment, you can find him watching Arsenal F.C. soccer games, riding bikes, collecting designer toys, and dreaming of the day he owns a Shiba Inu.

Q: What coffee are you currently drinking?

I am loving the Michicha Natural Sundried from Sidama, Ethiopia. All the berries and brightness takes me back to the Idido Misty Valley days. Outstanding!

Q: Choose your favorite coffee and brewing method.

Brewing method would have to be espresso and for favorite coffee, I’ve got to stick with my Ethiopians. I like my coffee to be very bright and fruity, especially in the mornings. A nice shot of Shakisso Natural SOE is a great substitute for a late morning without my OJ.

Q: Who at Counter Culture Coffee would you most like to arm-wrestle, and why?

I’ve got to go with Ben in roasting and it has to be as soon as he finishes his bike commute from Carrboro. I think that's my only window to steal a win.

Q: What is your favorite book?

It’s a tie between A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Dave Eggers and The Stranger Albert Camus.

Q: What keeps you busy outside of work?

Nothing too exciting, but I do enjoy listening to music and going to shows, watching movies, spending hours on the shiba puppy cam, trying to read more books, and watching soccer.

Q: Share an interesting fact you've learned about coffee while working at Counter Culture Coffee and name the person from whom you learned it.

It’s a cliche answer, I know, but you learn so much from working here, it’s hard to pick out the most memorable info. Recently, we have had a few discussions on sustainability throughout the supply chain and Kim revealed that the actual brewing of the coffee has a greater carbon impact than any another step.

Q: When you were 8 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A volcanologist! This was a little later than 8 though, maybe 6th grade when Dante’s Peak really sparked my imagination for career ideas.

Q: If you could beam yourself anywhere in the world for your lunch break, where would you go and what would you eat?

It would have to be a double-San Francisco lunch. I would first start at Mariachi’s in the Mission with one of their amazing tofu burritos and then head up to Golden Boy Pizza in North Beach.

Q: Which Counter Culture Coffee customer is most likely to see you outside of work?

Cafe Helios is right up the road from my house, so I am always there, perched on the bar.

Q: We understand you’re a big soccer fan. Who’s your favorite team and player? And, in your opinion, who’s the greatest soccer player of all time?

Until recently, I got a lot of slack from my friends for being a man without a team. I have always followed players, especially my all-time favorite, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. My ‘favorite team’ at the time was always wherever he was playing; Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Barcelona have added to my jersey collection over the years. I have finally sided with Arsenal for the last two seasons and have no plans of leaving the Gunners. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that Arsenal and Barcelona don’t meet in the Champions League. Greatest player of all time? Has to be Zinedine Zidane.

Q: We understand that you were once “famous” for your moustache. Do you have a picture of it? Tell us about your fame and—since you’re rocking a beard now—will we ever see the mustache again?

When I was working at Cafe Helios, a good friend of mine and local artist, Juli Leonard asked me to be in a piece she was running on moustaches, for the News and Observer. The paper ran a brief article on the resurgence of moustaches among young guys, and I quickly found a full page picture of my face in the Arts section. When is it coming back? I don’t think I can spill the beans on its return, but I will say that the production floor isn’t getting any cooler with spring on the way, so the return is probably sooner than later.