Hours away from Washington, D.C., Hilltop Coffee & Tea in Charlotte, North Carolina pays homage to Howard University’s student-led newspaper, The Hilltop.
The stablishment is owned and founded by Howard alumni Joy Shiver and Rashad Hart, who first came to Howard in 1996. Hart studied computer-based information systems and is currently a systems engineer, while Shiver studied biology and is currently a nurse.
With Hart growing up reading The Washington Post with his father, The Hilltop resonated with him. As Shiver would read The Hilltop on the metro, both Hart and Shiver shared the belief it was important to read about the local community and current events on campus.
“The Hilltop was huge for us back in the ‘90s. We didn’t have social media…but we would be really excited when it would come out,” Shiver said. “Because we couldn’t scroll on our phone…that’s how we found out about what’s going on on campus.”
In 2015, Hart helped take over a business venture at a local university in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he began to learn the ins and outs of the coffee industry. Nearly 25 years after graduating from Howard, he and Shiver reconnected through mutual friends.
Their visions quickly aligned. Hart valued cultivating a space centered on community, and Shiver imagined a cafe that gave ample space for students to study. Their commonalities led to their partnership, in which they sought to apply these ideas on Howard’s campus.
“We grew up watching our parents and grandparents reading [the] newspaper, drinking coffee with breakfast. We’re like, let’s bring that back,” Shiver said.
With anticipation of serving on Howard’s campus and bringing back the nostalgic ambiance of coffee and newspaper, Hart and Shiver wanted their business to continue to serve the rich legacy of Howard through their service and offerings and that began with the name.
“As far as the name came about, we wanted to pay homage to something that was influential to us…and embodied excellence, and that was The Hilltop,” Hart said.
This idea led them to the name, Hilltop Coffee. The two initially aimed to establish the business on Howard’s campus but were unable to. Instead, they secured a location in their hometown, working a mobile coffee cart in the DMV as they prepared the Charlotte location.
Since Hart already worked at a university coffee shop in Charlotte, they were able to secure a brick-and-mortar opportunity to expand on the coffee concept. Hilltop Coffee has a group of Howard alumni in the Charlotte area who Hart says are extremely supportive, describing them as family.
It wasn’t just service that the two valued; they valued wellness as well. Shiver’s background as a nurse led her to have a strong concern for students’ well-being.
“We found most places on campus aren’t providing quality food or beverages. It really became our mission to make sure that we had that standard of excellence through the quality offering,” Shiver said.
Hilltop Coffee & Tea is very particular about where they source their coffee and food. They partner with Black-owned gardens to grow their own herbs and make their own syrups and garnishes for drinks and sandwiches.
Hilltop Coffee has expanded its menu to include smoothies, smoothie bowls and green juices. Hilltop Coffee & Tea also has a menu item named after Howard.
“We called it the ‘mecca forever blend’ as an homage to the rich history here. It’s dark. It’s smooth, it’s bodacious. It’s of high quality. So we thought that summed up our experience here,” Shiver said.
Hart and Shiver seek to partner with the College of Fine Arts to hold art contests to help create labels for their menu items and also partner with Howard for menu themes, internships and projects, overall striving to serve and connect with the community.
Though their initial attempt didn’t work out, they still seek to secure a permanent spot on Howard’s campus. They seek to collaborate with Howard to wrap their sandwiches and pastries in archived printed Hilltop papers and to provide a space for students to study.
“It would be our dream come true. It’s why we did it, to have the opportunity to have a space here, to operate, serve and really be serious about the quality of food,” Shiver said.
Copy edited by D’Nyah Jefferson – Philmore
