When you talk about the east coast’s best coffee cities, Norfolk, Virginia, does not immediately leap to mind, but the Hampton Roads region, which includes Norfolk, has the numbers to back up its claim to East Coast Capital of Coffee. It has the third-highest concentration of people employed in the coffee industry (behind Charlotte and New York) and warehouses around the nearby Port of Virginia hold roughly 50 million pounds of coffee that come in from countries across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Triple-A Orioles affiliate in Norfolk will pay homage to the rising java tide in their region by playing a game as the Norfolk Coffee. They’ll wear green and black jerseys, and an online fan vote will determine whether their caps will feature hot or iced coffee.
“We’re really excited to introduce this unique team identity at Harbor Park,” said Tides General Manager Joe Gregory, quoted on MiLB.com. “For our region, coffee is what’s on our ships, in our warehouses and in our cups. In more ways than one, coffee is what gets us up in the morning.”
The Tides will play as the Coffee July 20, and jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the Tides Youth Baseball Fund.
