Made in NYC Company of the Month - May 2011

Cafe Grumpy

Behind the Scenes at Greenpoint's Hottest Coffee Roaster

"I believe humans get a lot done, not because we're smart, but because we have thumbs so we can make coffee." ~ Flash Rosenberg

The light and airy feeling inside Café Grumpy at Greenpoint generates an inviting atmosphere—a great place to study, hang out with friends, or grab a book from the café’s book-exchange. Caroline Bell, the founder, and husband/co-founder, Chris Timbrell, opened their Greenpoint café in 2005 and expanded rapidly, opening up two other stores in Park Slope (2009) and Chelsea (2006). A fourth store is currently being built in the Lower East Side.

What makes their Greenpoint café so special, however, is that it contains a vintage roastery, the machine that transforms the chemical and physical properties of green coffee beans into roasted coffee products. The roasting process is what produces the characteristic flavor of coffee by causing the green coffee beans to expand and to change in color, taste, smell, and density. After installing the roastery two years ago, Café Grumpy was able to begin having more control over the freshness and flavor profile of their beans. Bell and Timbrell would have installed the roaster sooner were it not for a lengthy permitting process caused by the architects and engineers involved, as well as the Department of Buildings. Bell says, “They were all unfamiliar with coffee roasters and catalytic oxidizers. I think they [were] used to seeing pizza ovens and not coffee roasters!” The roastery is now an integral part of the café. Its 25 employees dedicate time developing roast profiles to bring out the dynamic nuances in the beans they purchase from environmentally responsible farms. After roasting, they then cup each batch separately in order to maintain consistent quality.

Customers are invited to observe Liam Singer, their head roaster, hand-roast small batches of specialty-grade coffee on a restored vintage Probat, and hear him explain the roasting process in detail. Bell says that after installing the roastery, she became more aware of how much work goes in to making one cup of coffee, and is more conscious of the waste that is produced between each step of the process. In order to reduce the environmental impact of the roasting process and use less gas, Café Grumpy deploys a catalytic oxidizer to lower the amount of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter released into the environment. They also recycle coffee chaff and compost coffee waste.

After the beans have been roasted, each cup is made fresh, from bean to brew, with a hybrid French press–vacuum pot technology that allows the barista to make adjustments for grind, dose, water temperature, and contact time. Café Grumpy also uses reusable metal filters when making each cup.

Café Grumpy purchases their beans from farms located all over the world. They have formed personal relationships with farmers located in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Gibraltar, Andalusia, and Australia. Their sources of purchase are dependent on when coffee is in season; thus, they alternate contacts throughout the year. In addition to attaining their beans from socially and environmentally responsible farms, they purchase their beans from co-ops, producers, and importers.

They sell coffee at Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg, Eastern District in Greenpoint, The Bodega in Bushwick, and The Shop at The Andaz in Manhattan. Café Grumpy also sells their coffee online and receives orders from all over of the country.

Bell says that it is important for her and her employees to maintain a close relationship with the farmers. They alternate going on trips to visit the farmers and their families. The employees document their trips and post incredible photos on Flickr and blog about their experiences.

The market value of coffee consistently fluctuates. Bell says that if there is a drought or natural disaster that affects the farm, prices will rise. In general, however, coffee prices have increased due to the current state of the economy. A pound of green coffee does not yield a pound of roasted coffee—weight loss is over 15 percent on average. They pay an average price of $4.50 plus shipping/import fees for green coffee. Sometimes the coffee is more expensive—the Colombian lots they bought this year for over $5 went up $1.10 from last year's prices. This was because of an increase in demand and bad weather. Even though prices are high Bell says her customers keep coming for the distinctive quality of freshly roasted fair trade beans: “The quality of the coffee starts at the farm. We work with farmers and producers who take a lot time, care and pride in the coffee they grow, harvest and process. We continue that care when we select and roast the coffee - letting the coffee's inherent characteristics dictate the roast profile which ends up reflecting the quality of the cup.”

193 Meserole Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11222
718-349-7623
www.cafegrumpy.com