The Coffee Club: A Student’s Guide to Duluth’s Coffee Hubs

Julia Krabbenhoft, President of The Coffee Club at The Social House. Photo by Morgan James

“It’s a great way for people to get out of their dorms, out of their houses on a weekend and go hang out with some friends. We accept everyone that comes in. So even if you don’t like coffee, but you like tea or smoothies, we just go and hang out,” said current Coffee Club President, Julia Krabbenhoft.

Founded back in Fall of 2022, The Coffee Club was run by then President Paulina Uitenboger and Vice President Ella Dold. Following in their footsteps and taking over as President is Julia Krabbenhoft, a junior at UMD majoring in marketing with a minor in sociology. Julia joined the club in the Spring of 2023 and has remained an active member since then, now taking over a leadership role. 

The Coffee Club at UMD is a bi-weekly social club for students to visit different coffee shops in the Twin Ports and North Shore areas. This includes places like 190° Coffee and Tea, Dunn Brothers and Wired Whisker. One of their most recent stops was to The Loch, a local cafe and gaming spot for Duluth residents. Following their runs, the club posts reviews of each place they visit to their Instagram. Like any other organization, The Coffee Club started out small and has grown over the years. “We have a ton of different members that started out really shy, and then just blossomed like a butterfly,” said Krabbenhoft. Now with almost 135 members and an average of 15-20 students per run, The Coffee Club is well established and going strong. Krabbenhoft says that the club is a nice space for students to get involved with their community and make new friends, as current members are constantly bringing new people into the club. 

With so many students to account for, there is a lot of planning that goes on behind the scenes. Things such as sending out weekly emails and coordinating rides are the responsibility of the events coordinator, Haylee Mueller. Along with the coffee runs, Mueller also plans events during the week. Past events have been making tie blankets, movie nights and painting coffee cups. The club and events are geared towards students who live on campus, like freshman and sophomores who want to get out and do something. Students are able to join the club on their runs and events by just showing up.

Krabbenhoft is excited to see the next generation of The Coffee Club members step into their own leadership roles and continue on the runs to local coffee shops. The club will be one to watch, as coffee is a known source of a college kid’s battery.

The Coffee Club’s next coffee run will be on Feb. 23 to Wired Whisker, with a time slot to meet with the cats.  For more information on The Coffee Club and their reviews, they can be found on Instagram @thecoffeeclubatumd and on Bulldog Connect.