Our 16th Anniversary: A Letter from Our Founder

Today marks Brooklyn Roasting Company's 16th anniversary of cafes - and 17 years since we first fired up a roaster and started delivering coffee across Brooklyn.

Since those early days of roasting and wholesaling in 2009, and opening our doors to the public a year later, our commitment to celebrating the bold, colorful character of the borough we call home and the coffees we source from around the world has never wavered.

We are proud of our long-standing purchasing commitments to women-owned growing cooperatives in Peru and Sumatra, and similar partnerships in Nicaragua and Ethiopia. We've forged meaningful local relationships with so many good people and worthy organizations - from Brooklyn Academy of Music to WNYC Radio, from running clubs to artist collaboratives, from public schools to the local fire station. There are honestly too many meaningful connections to list here.

We are proud of what we've built and the challenges we have overcome. When we started, quality specialty coffee in New York City was genuinely hard to find. That landscape has changed considerably over the past sixteen years, and while the field is more crowded than it once was, we like to think we've risen to the occasion. 

We want to take this opportunity to thank our hundreds of wholesale customers for their strong, steady support over the years - from neighborhood grocery stores to fine coffee shops and restaurants across the five boroughs. Your belief in us has made all the difference. Thank you Joe at Vittoria Bakery. Thank you Anthony and Frank and Drew at Bagelsmith and Have a Bagel. Thank you Sam at Gotham Cafe. Thank you Der Pioneer and Steeplechase. Thank you Park Slope Food Coop. And thank you to absolutely every other customer we deliver to week in and week out. There are far too many to name, but we sure wish we could.

We also want to mention our long-standing partnership across the Pacific with our licensed partner in Japan. We couldn't be more proud of the connections we've made on the other side of the world. We help support five Brooklyn Roasting Company cafes and a commercial roasting facility in Tokyo and Osaka, and we are genuinely lucky to work with such a capable and dedicated group of Japanese coffee experts and friends.

We want to thank the hundreds of baristas, store managers, drivers, and roasting facility workers who have worked with us over the years. We are grateful for each and every one of your contributions. You have been the backbone of this business, and there is absolutely no way we could have done it without you.

We've always said we are serious but not snobby about coffee. That's still true. We've never aimed to be the fanciest coffee company in New York. We've aimed to be the best. Our 20,000 square foot production facility and cupping lab at the Navy Yard is the most well-equipped and carefully maintained coffee operation in the city. We source the best quality coffees we can find anywhere in the world, and we roast them with care each day to make sure their uniquely colorful characters come through clearly in the cup. That dedication hasn't changed one bit.

Our deepest gratitude goes to the tens of thousands of customers waking up each day and popping open one of our trademark tins or 12oz bags at home. We're thinking of you as we blow out this year's birthday candles, and wishing for many more years of coffee roasting excitement to come.

All best,

Jim