In this episode of The Lunchbucket Podcast, Ellie shares what it’s like to be a Dutch Bros barista. The training she went through, the details involved in making all those specialty caffeinated drinks, and how it feels to interact with customers for hours at a time. Her smile shines through as she tells the story of how she came to work in a coffee hut and what’s on her near horizon; graduating from college! She also shares one of her lunchtime go-to recipes with us, her mom’s Black Bean Mango Salsa. Like a nice shot of espresso, Ellie’s bright spirit energizes the room. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did as well as the links, ideas, and recipe attached. Cheers! Gail & Donna Ellie is a barista at a Dutch Bros location in Bend, Oregon where The Lunchbucket Podcast is based. Dutch Bros is a coffee hut chain that started in Grants Pass, Oregon in 1992. With PNW roots, the company has been expanding nationwide with plans to open over 180 stores in 2026! Check out the Dutch Bros story and mission. As Ellie described some of the most popular Dutch Bros energy drinks, we were surprised at all the sour flavors and started pondering why sour candies and drinks seem to be so popular these days. Check out this fascinating read on how the Mega Warhead catapulted us into true sour territory: TOXIC. SOUR. ATOMIC. Just for fun, we thought this “At Home with Amy Sedaris” was fitting: No offense Dutch Bros, but we are a little concerned about how much caffeine and sugar the youth of America seem to be ingesting these days. We dug a little deeper into that worry and found some interesting reading that we wanted to share. Not to alarm, but to educate, here’s a LINK to a Psychology Today report. And here’s a caffeine chart you might find interesting: CHART Service with a smile. That’s a huge expectation in our culture. If you listen to the end of the podcast, you’ll hear us talking about the emotional toll working in any service industry job can take on a person. Here’s an article we found quite interesting that addresses just that, the dark side of service with a smile: BARISTAS BURDEN Ellie’s Favorite Black Bean Mango Salsa/Salad (from her mom) Ellie’s mom Melissa is a great cook, so instead of exact amounts, she says to “Cook From Your Heart” 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained small bag of frozen white or yellow corn, thawed 1 mango, peeled and chopped small can of roasted green chiles chopped red pepper, as much as you like a handful of cilantro, chopped red onion, diced, as much as you like chopped tomato, as much as you like a few swirls of olive oil a splash of red wine vinegar salt, to taste black pepper, taste garlic powder, to taste a zesty seasoning of your choice, to taste Stir it all together and just taste it to see if it tastes like you like it to taste. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelunchbucket.substack.com
