Product Development Engineer, Anastasia Altomari
Yes, you do. A Revolution Coffee, that is.
Long before the pandemic and the shutdown of normal, everyday life, Revolution Coffee Roasters was the little company that believed that they could. And they did. Co-owners Stephen McFadden, an auto mechanic who was unemployed at the time, and Justin Ettore decided to go into business in 2013, after an offhand discussion when they both were attending the same baby shower. While neither owner knew anything about the coffee roasting business, they nevertheless jumped in with both feet and were able to learn and succeed by doing. Like George Washington and the Continental Army in December of 1776 during the Revolution, their goal was to conquer a bit of New Jersey. And like George Washington, they’ve succeeded admirably more than 200 years later, winning the hearts and minds (and palates) of the people of New Jersey and beyond.
They first began roasting in May of 2013 in a small room in the back of their present building in Collingswood, NJ (at the time of this writing they are moving into a new commercial space at 809 Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, right next to Hearthside restaurant).
One of their first public forays involved bagging freshly roasted coffee beans at a popular booth at the Collingwood Farmers Market and from those humble beginnings, their business steadily grew. With hard work, grit and determination they built relationships with their clientele in and around the area, and opened a brick and mortar café on a side street in Collingswood. From this location, they began to expand both their products and their business, and their business was really starting to take off. Then along came 2020 and Covid-19, and after shutting their doors for three months, they focused their efforts on website sales, both wholesale as well as retail, and delivery to the local area. They’ve since offered curbside service focused on growlers and carry-out offerings for the home brewing process, and the response has been remarkable, allowing them to actually increase their overall volume of business during the pandemic!
With their Product Development Engineer, Anastasia Altomari, finessing the roasts, they’ve developed a diverse product offering to take advantage of the wide-ranging coffee preferences of their clientele, and we were invited to be part of an exclusive experiential tasting at their now former storefront with Anastasia, Steve and barista Aidan Hadley leading the festivities. Our first sample was the Ethiopian coffee, a naturally processed bean. It was lightly roasted with a hint of blueberry. The second sample we tasted, the Honduran Marcala, was medium bodied, brewed to perfection and delicious. The Papua New Guinea coffee, our third sample, was an exceptional dark roast. Our final tasting was the cold brew blend, perfect for a hot day. As was delightfully and convincingly shown through Revolution’s roasting process, each cup captured the uniquely fresh and full flavor of their incredibly enjoyable products. The vibrant contrasts between the roasts we experienced clearly demonstrated that all their hard work put into sourcing the finest quality beans responsibly and transporting them efficiently across the globe to be expertly roasted was worth it. You absolutely can taste the care and work which goes into their products. (As suggested by their names, all of Revolution’s coffees are single origin except their cold brew and espresso blends, with many additional varieties we’ve yet to explore!) Thanks again to Revolution Coffee Roasters for a truly memorable and satisfying experience.
