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Morgan Eckroth

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Morgan Eckroth
Born (1998-09-18) September 18, 1998 (age 26)[1]
EducationOregon State University
Occupations
  • Barista
  • TikToker
  • YouTuber
TikTok information
Followers5.5 million+
Likes344 million+
Last updated: 27 September 2022
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2020 - Present
Subscribers1.39 million[2]
Total views451 million[2]
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers
Last updated: 24 August 2024
Websitemorgandrinkscoffee.com

Morgan Eckroth (born 18 September 1998), also known by their[N 1] username MorganDrinksCoffee, is an American online content creator and barista. A resident of Portland, Oregon, Eckroth maintains a popular TikTok account and YouTube channel along with participating in barista competitions. After competing in nationals and qualifiers for the United States Barista Championship in 2019 and 2020 respectively, Eckroth became the United States Barista Champion in 2022, thereby qualifying to represent the US in the 2022 World Barista Championship (WBC). Eckroth placed second at the WBC, where they were sponsored by Onyx Coffee Lab, an Arkansas-based coffee roaster where Eckroth also serve as the content marketing specialist.

Early life

[edit]

Morgan Eckroth grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. They were homeschooled alongside one of their two brothers.[3][4]

Education and career

[edit]

Eckroth attended Oregon State University where, after starting in criminology and criminal justice, they received a marketing degree in June 2020.[3][5][6][7] As a college freshman they started working as a barista at Tried and True Coffee Co. in Corvallis.[8] They began releasing short form comedy sketches about life as a barista on TikTok.[9] They then expanded to Instagram and YouTube, where they maintain popular accounts on both platforms.[10][11] Eckroth brands themself as "your friendly internet barista", saying, "[Coffee] can be serious or silly or everything in between all at once. We can't expect consumers outside the specialty coffee industry to find connection with us if we approach them with the expectation that they have the same foundation of knowledge we do".[12]

After graduating, they started work at a start-up, before returning to work as a barista to allow them to continue making coffee-related content. They stated in an interview with Business Insider, "Previously, so many of my videos revolved around me actively being a barista and actively working in a café. It felt a little disingenuous to go back to that sort of thing without actually working in the industry. And so I found a wonderful café up in Portland that was looking for a part-time barista, and to this day, I still work three shifts a week."[7] They continue to work part time as a barista as of December 2022.[13][11] Eckroth typically films their videos at the coffee shop they work at after it has closed.[7][14]

In December 2020, Eckroth announced a collaboration with Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters, selling branded coffee from their online shop.[15]

In 2019 and 2020, Eckroth competed in the United States Barista Championship (USBC), competing in nationals and qualifiers respectively those years.[8] In 2022, Eckroth again competed and finished first. Eckroth became the USBC Champion and qualified to represent the United States in the World Barista Championship (WBC) in Melbourne, Australia.[16][8] Leading up to the competition, Eckroth prepared for two months with Onyx Coffee Lab from Arkansas and was coached by Onyx co-founder and fellow YouTuber Lance Hedrick. Eckroth's performance at the competition discussed livestreaming and the connection between the online and physical world as it pertains to coffee culture. Eckroth also released a video series leading up to the competition detailing their preparation and a recipe on how to make their signature drink.[12][8][17][18][19][11]

Eckroth officially joined Onyx Coffee Lab as their content marketing specialist in May 2022.[20][11][21][22]

In August 2022, Eckroth and specialty coffee company Fellow announced Eckroth would act as a guest curator for the August 30 "Fellow Drop", a weekly, text-based coffee ordering service.[23]

Starting on September 28, 2022, Eckroth competed in the opening round of the WBC. Eckroth was sponsored by Onyx Coffee Lab, marking the second year in a row the US was represented by an Onyx-sponsored competitor in the WBC, as well as in the World Brewers Cup.[24] After progressing past the first round and semifinals, Eckroth continued on to compete in the finals against five other baristas, placing second and becoming the Runner-Up of the World Barista Championship.[25][26][21][27][28][29] A few months later, Eckroth announced they planned to continue competing in barista competitions.[14]

In January 2023, Eckroth was honored at the 14th Annual Sprudgie Awards, winning in the category of "Best Social Media".[30]

Personal life

[edit]

Eckroth lives in Portland, Oregon, with their husband and previously lived in Corvallis, Oregon.[31] In a June 2021 post on Instagram, Eckroth stated they are bisexual and uses the pronouns "she" and "they".[32][18][3]

In May 2020, Eckroth was attacked with bear mace at their job after a customer became angry about the coffee shop's temporary no-cash policy during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[33]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Eckroth uses she/they pronouns. This article uses "they" pronouns for consistency.

References

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  1. ^ "Tried & True Coffee Co.| Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  2. ^ a b "About MorganDrinksCoffee". YouTube.
  3. ^ a b c Van Petten, Kate (15 March 2023). "Behind the Art and the Lens: An Interview with Morgan Eckroth—Part One". Barista Magazine Online. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  4. ^ Hogue, Theresa (25 July 2008). "Play shows timeless racing story". Corvallis Gazette-Times. p. 3. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  5. ^ Gazette-Times, Corvallis. "Corvallis barista finishes 23rd at national competition". Albany Democrat Herald. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  6. ^ KATU Staff (10 August 2020). "Oregon Tiktok stars say they hope the app sticks around". KATU. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Mangalindan, JP; Whateley, Dan; Perelli, Amanda. "From a Walmart cashier to a barista, how influencers are making money on YouTube and TikTok by filming at work". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d Yentch, Katrina (20 April 2022). "A Conversation With 2022 U.S. Barista Champ Morgan Eckroth: Part One". Barista Magazine Online. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  9. ^ Marsh, Calum (1 November 2019). "Lights, Camera, TikTok". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  10. ^ Day, James. "Coffee artist goes national". Corvallis Gazette Times. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d Dinh, Elizabeth (2 June 2022). "Portland's Morgan Eckroth crowned US Barista champion". KOIN. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  12. ^ a b Rodriguez, Ashley (2 May 2022). "The Internet's Friendliest Barista Is Also the Nation's Best". TASTE. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  13. ^ Clayton, Liz. "Morgan Eckroth Of @MorganDrinksCoffee: The Sprudge Interview". sprudge.com. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  14. ^ a b Hale, James (14 December 2022). "Creators On The Rise: How Morgan Eckroth went from TikTok to the 2022 World Barista Championship". Tubefilter. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  15. ^ Michelman, Jordan. "TikTok Star Morgan Drinks Coffee Launches Collab With Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters". Sprudge. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  16. ^ Sprudge Staff. "Here Are The Winners Of The 2022 US Coffee Championships". Sprudge. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  17. ^ Yentch, Katrina (21 April 2022). "A Conversation With 2022 U.S. Barista Champ Morgan Eckroth: Part Two". Barista Magazine Online. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  18. ^ a b Cadwalader, Zac. "2022 US Barista Champion Morgan Eckroth: The Sprudge Interview". Sprudge. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  19. ^ MANN, JOANNA. "Corvallis native is the 2022 Barista Champion for the whole country". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  20. ^ Miner, Colin (16 May 2022). "Newly Crowned U.S. Barista Champion Is Portland's Morgan Eckroth". Portland, OR Patch. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  21. ^ a b Cadwalader, Zac (27 September 2022). "The World Barista Championship & World Brewers Cup Start Today". Sprudge.com. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  22. ^ Onyx Coffee Lab (4 October 2022). "Onyx takes prizes at World Coffee Championships". PR Newswire. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Fellow Partners with Morgan Drinks Coffee as Guest Curator for its Popular Text-To-Order Coffee Program". PRWeb. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  24. ^ "2 Onyx Employees Place in 2022 World Coffee Championships (Movers & Shakers)". Arkansas Business. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  25. ^ Cadwalader, Zac (29 September 2022). "Here Are The Finalists For The 2022 World Barista Championship & World Brewers Cup". Sprudge.com. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  26. ^ Cadwalader, Zac (30 September 2022). "Here Are The Winners Of The 2022 World Barista Championship & World Brewers Cup". Sprudge.com. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  27. ^ Cadwalader, Zac (28 September 2022). "Here Are The Semi-Finalists For The 2022 World Barista Championship". Sprudge.com. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  28. ^ Barrett, Peter (30 September 2022). "Melburnian crowned World Barista Champion at 2022 World Coffee Championships". Good Food. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  29. ^ Arden, Amanda (19 October 2022). "Portland barista Morgan Eckroth named runner-up in world championship". KOIN.com. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  30. ^ "The 14th Annual Sprudgie Awards Winners And Honorees". sprudge.com. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  31. ^ Morrison, Heather (8 April 2022). "US Coffee Championships begin in Boston". masslive. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  32. ^ Eckroth, Morgan (30 June 2021). ""It might be the last day of #pridemonth but heck, here I am anyways."". Instagram. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  33. ^ Ohlheiser, Abby. "The online battle for the mental health of service workers". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
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