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A classic MorganDrinksCoffee video is a 30 seconds Don’t wait until
short video with light music, simple subtitles explaining
the acting, and good humor. The black turtleneck is also a you feel “ready”
prominent feature in all her videos. It is a style that Morgan
intentionally used to make her videos more recognizable a because that day
few years ago, but lately, it has been applied to her real life.
She told us that every morning when she woke up, she would may never come.
just put on her turtleneck, not needing to worry about what
to wear during the day.
In a competitive social media world, it is never easy
to get recognized nowadays. However, thanks to her mar-
keting background and business mindset, @MorganDrinks-
Coffee now has over 6 million followers across social
platforms. When asked about her secret to success, Morgan
claimed that she has “been doing this for long enough to Clips like when a customer comes to get a drink, yet
know that consistency, kindness, and a sense of humor can the barista forgets which one is with oat milk or when the
go a long way online.” customer is confused or unable to decide from the menu,
Indeed, Morgan has been in the content creation field and the baristas have to pretend they were busy behind the
for some time. Video creation has always been a hobby for counter to avoid awkwardness are the types of clips you
Morgan. When she decided to go to university to study might see on @MorganDrinks-Coffee. These are the things
marketing, her plan was to work in digital marketing for we probably all have encountered in a coffee shop. “I don’t
the coffee industry after graduation. Therefore, she began ever want my content to be the end-all-be-all of someone’s
to make coffee videos in her spare time, but just for fun. It coffee journey; I just want to create a spark that they can
was 2019 when TikTok was only an uprising platform. then continue to kindle if they wish,” Morgan commented
Morgan wanted first to try if she could make any splash on her videos.
through short-form videos. And her videos very soon took While @MorganDrinksCoffee aims to showcase Mor-
off. Her first coffee video that got hit was a video of her gan’s own approach to her job as a barista through an enter-
pouring a latte. There’s no music, explanation, or special taining way, she has also found a more rigorous way to do it.
effects, yet she was surprised to find that people liked it. Recently, Morgan joined Onyx Coffee Lab, a company that
It was something cool and notable for the audience. That focuses on roasting and barista training, as their content
is when Morgan started to take it more seriously and thought marketing specialist. So far, she has created videos for pro-
about what more she could do through her videos. fessionals or amateurs who are interested in the coffee in-
Then she realized that, as a barista working in the dustry, such as a brew guide, coffee variety topics, and so on.
hospitality industry, it is inevitable to meet some difficult Having three jobs in her life, Morgan tends to fill her
customers or weird situations. For her, it is not a thing that current career with coffee-related projects and jobs that
would strike her nerve; instead, she only finds it amusing. excite her. Surely, balancing all the work is never an easy job.
She respects both the barista as well as the customers’ However, Morgan believes that “consistency and kindness”
experience. In fact, for many people, specialty coffee is are the keywords she applied to all the jobs. She said: “As a
still a niche area. It is very possible that some of the cus- barista, I want to provide a reliable experience to customers
tomers might feel confused about the choices of coffee on each time, both in how I treat them and in the drinks that I
the menu. Video is a light way to help the general public serve. Similarly, I want to create a space online that’s consis-
to understand coffee more. tent and safe.”
Morgan reflects on her short videos: “Within the Now with success in both her media content and her
coffee industry, there are lots of discussions about how barista career, Morgan definitely has more voice than be-
we’re better able to communicate the value of coffee and fore. This also gives her more responsibility to help make
explain to consumers the intricacies of the drink that they the coffee world a better place for not only the professions
Morgan knows that trying and competing in all those professional barista competitions is a fast track to growing, have on a daily basis. There are a lot of questions out there but also the general public. “It’s a privilege to have the
becoming a more professional barista, and understanding the whole coffee industry better. She enjoys the creative that I don’t have the answers to, but I do firmly believe that platforms that I do, and I don’t take that lightly. At the end
process of putting together routines and especially collaborates with all the other coffee talents from all different a reliable way to get someone to care about something is of the day, I like to create things, and I’m glad that others
fields. she showed her rebellion by releasing her signature recipe right before the USBC competition to help more have been able to enjoy what I’ve created. My goal is to
baristas who want to compete in major championships get an idea of how to go about it... by piquing their curiosity. Based on this belief, I’ve focused
on making playful, silly videos around coffee that can continue creating and wielding the platforms I have respon-
hopefully act as that first push towards more exploration.” sibly,” she commented.

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