Coffee shop & kitchen brings coastal café culture and wellness to Durham
DURHAM, N.C. (November 5, 2025) — DRIFT, the coastal-inspired café known for its nourishing menu, intentional design and focus on community, is set to open its newest Coffee Shop & Kitchen location at Horseshoe at Hub RTP on Wednesday, November 12. DRIFT will open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering a warm, modern space for connection, creativity, and calm amid the bustle of Research Triangle Park.
At DRIFT, the mission is simple: to serve others, inspiring modern wellness and the best in everyone. The new location within Horseshoe at Hub RTP perfectly reflects that purpose, surrounded by green space, a nature trail and Burdens Creek, all just steps away.
“Our vision for DRIFT has always been about more than great coffee,” said Michael Powell, co-founder and owner. “We want to create spaces where people can slow down, connect and be inspired—whether they’re grabbing a morning flat white, getting lunch or stepping out of the office to reset for the afternoon. Horseshoe at Hub RTP captures that balance between progress and presence that we’ve been chasing since day one.”
Brothers Michael and Ben Powell founded DRIFT after traveling through Australia and New Zealand while Michael was a professional surfer. They discovered a café culture that blends seamlessly with wellness, design and genuine human connection. That experience inspired them to bring a similar spirit home. They opened their first DRIFT location in Ocean Isle Beach in 2014 and have since grown the brand to 12 North Carolina locations.
The Horseshoe location marks a new chapter for DRIFT as it launches its own in-house coffee roasting program, deepening the brand’s relationships with growers and origins worldwide. By sourcing and roasting its own beans, DRIFT aims to bring guests closer to the journey behind each cup. DRIFT broke ground on the roastery in Wilmington, N.C. in fall 2025 and will begin roasting in 2026.
DRIFT’s menu of premium coffees, nourishing bowls and fresh breakfast and lunch offerings includes popular items such as the Bodega Breakfast Sandwich, Acai Bowl, Breakfast Burrito, Caprese Sandwich, Chicken Pesto Bowl and Chopped Salad. DRIFT offers convenient ordering on its app and website, allowing guests to schedule a pickup or delivery.
“DRIFT brings a welcoming, uplifting space for guests to recharge or connect outside of the office,” said Carolyn Coia, vice president of real estate, Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina. “It embodies the kind of thoughtful, community-driven experiences we envisioned for Horseshoe, creating places that make RTP not just a place to work but a place to belong.”
With the opening at Horseshoe, DRIFT debuts a new catering program tailored for the Research Triangle Park community. The catering service will feature boxed breakfasts and lunches, bulk bowls, and customizable packages, bringing Drift’s fresh, intentional food and coffee directly to offices and gatherings throughout RTP.
For more information and to order online, follow @driftcoffee.kitchen and visit driftcoffee.kitchen. DRIFT in Horseshoe is located at 3151 Elion Dr. Suite C Durham, N.C. 27713. For more information on Horseshoe at Hub RTP and more new tenants coming to the mixed-use development, visit https://horseshoeatthehub.com.
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ABOUT HORSESHOE AT HUB RTP
Horseshoe at Hub RTP is the central gathering place within Hub RTP offering office, restaurant and retail experiences within a trio of buildings totaling 157,500 square feet and wrapped around a central, outdoor courtyard. Horseshoe is built with wellness and recreation in mind, offering pedestrian and bicycle connectivity to the existing RTP trail system. Tenants and visitors will enjoy 16 acres of greenspace with streamside trails and boardwalks, including Horseshoe’s splash fountain and event lawn. Conveniently located at the center of Research Triangle Park (RTP) between Highway 54 and I-40 directly off the Davis Drive exit, Horseshoe is easily accessible from anywhere in the Triangle. To learn more about Horseshoe at Hub RTP, including leasing opportunities, visit https://horseshoeatthehub.com.
ABOUT HUB RTP
Hub RTP is the new, vibrant downtown district of Research Triangle Park (RTP), North America’s largest research park. At full build out, Hub RTP will feature up to one million square feet of office and lab space, 279 hotel rooms, 1,200 multifamily residential units, and 50K square feet of restaurant and retail space, all designed to bring people together to work, play and stay in RTP. An impressive 16 acres of parks and greenspace includes the award-winning and eco-friendly Burdens Creek, which connects more than 20 miles of trails in RTP. Centrally located in the heart of the Triangle region, the 100-acre district includes Horseshoe at Hub RTP, the mixed-use town square of the development, Frontier RTP, an innovative startup community, and Boxyard RTP, a unique food, retail and entertainment destination. To learn more about Hub RTP and current leasing opportunities, visit https://hub.rtp.org.
ABOUT WHITE POINT
White Point is a real estate investment firm that specializes in the acquisition and development of mixed-use, office, retail, and multifamily properties across the Southeastern U.S. The Charlotte, NC-based firm utilizes local market knowledge, an extensive network and entrepreneurial approach to pinpoint unique investment opportunities and in-house expertise to execute across multiple asset classes. Since inception in 2014, White Point has invested in over $1.1 billion of real estate assets, receiving numerous design and historic preservation awards. For more information, visit https://whitepointpartners.com and follow @whitepointpartners on Instagram and LinkedIn.