Dirty Girl Coffee gives back and empowers women in Appalachia
Athens is known for its coffee culture, and shops like Donkey Coffee, Brenen’s Coffee Cafe, and Athens Rise and Grind are just a few of the many places in the city where students and locals alike can grab their morning espresso or afternoon pick-me-up.
But about 25 minutes north of Uptown in the village of Glouster, Dirty Girl Coffee is one of the lesser-known shops in the county. Located at 82 High St., right on the town’s main drag, the roastery was founded in 2015 and moved to its current location in July 2023.
Jenna Keiffer, media and social change manager and barista at Dirty Girl, said the company conducts all business activities from its store, including online sales.
“We do our sales from here, but we also do e-commerce from here and then we do some wholesale from here as well,” she said. “So we ship to larger companies all over the United States.”
Jane Cavarozzi, co-founder of Dirty Girl Coffee, said the store helps get the company’s name out there and bring customers to town.
“Our cafe is literally a love letter to Glouster,” Cavarozzi said. “It exists solely to stay connected and involved with our community. And to renovate a building ourselves.”
The company sells both whole and ground beans, teas and other goods in its web store. The store also offers a subscription service where customers can have beans delivered to their home with a 10% discount plus shipping and taxes. Shipping costs depend on weight and location.
The cafe was founded in 2015 by Cavarozzi and Kara Tripp. Originally, the pair roasted beans at home and sold the beans and beverages at local farmers markets. Cavarozzi said her dog was the inspiration for the cafe’s name.
“We were on a pontoon boat with our friends and we had an old Labrador named Gypsy with us,” she said. “She would jump on the boat and shake herself and cover us in mud, dirt and nasty sea stuff. So we were like a bunch of dirty girls.”
Dirty Girl not only roasts and brews coffee, the company also helps give back to the community of Glouster. Keiffer said its main mission is to help the town where it grew.
“One of the things that’s really important to Dirty Girl Coffee is giving back to our community because the community has done so much for us,” she said. “Jane is part of the Glouster Revitalization Organization and they give back to the community a lot.”
GRO’s mission is to provide funding and corporate resources to revitalize the community, create safe spaces like parks, and revitalize abandoned buildings by attracting more businesses. Cavarozzi is the board chair.
In addition to supporting GRO, Dirty Girl Coffee also works on projects that target women in rural Ohio and Appalachia, providing them with economic and social opportunities. Cavarozzi also serves as the board chair of the Ohio Women’s Coalition (OWC) and a board member of the Athens County Foundation (ACF).
OWC helps women in these underserved areas improve their economic situation and achieve financial stability. OWC is based in Columbus and works with women across the state. ACF works for the economic and social development of Athens County.
Dirty Girl Coffee is open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dirty Girl beans are available at Jefferson Market, Kindred Market, and other locations in southeast Ohio listed on the Dirty Girl website.
