Growing up in a world where mainstream franchises are becoming more accessible to people everywhere, the effects of that on independent coffee shops is one you wouldn’t expect: positive. The culture of having a place to sit down talk, read, work and enjoy a delicate cup of coffee/espresso while carrying on a meaningful conversation is one that is craved by human nature. When you walk into Starbucks, the coffee giant, you know the menu, you know the lay out of the store, and everything is pretty much the same for each location. But, throughout Long Island, there are local independent coffee shops that have the ability to make you feel at home, wherever you are from. I was given the opportunity to interview the owners and discuss how the coffee giant is affecting them, what the future of coffee on Long Island holds, and what makes their specific store unique.
“Coffee is something that will continue to do that [bring people together], way beyond my years” (Sal Gervasi)
The Babylon Bean, located on Fire Island Ave. in Babylon, NY was the first coffee shop I visited. On Wednesday December 28, 2017, I met with Sal Gervasi. Sal is the owner and manager of the Babylon Bean Franchise, which has expanded into the Bayshore Bean (2016), and in the near future the Patchogue Bean. Each one of the shops has its own culture, atmosphere and customer base.
Despite being 25 minutes late to our interview, Sal Gervasi was able to answer all my questions and more about coffee. He picked up the Babylon Bean in 2010, and transformed it into the popular, local coffee shop it is today. While I waited in the quaint, friendly place that caters to its people, I sat down in a corner table quietly enjoying smooth espresso while people watching out the window wondering which man I was meeting with. It was the perfect place for anyone to work, or read in a warm place that wasn’t at home. It had a warm inviting atmosphere that I could just imagine reading my book in the corner blocking out the hustle and bustle, and losing myself for hours on end. With that being said the Babylon Bean defentaily caters to its customers. They have local art for sale, open-mic nights for anyone, and just good coffee. For a Wednesday afternoon, the Babylon Bean was slammed packed with people and it was just another day.
Mr. Gervasi discovered his love and passion for coffee in 2010, when he obtained the Babylon Bean, that was where his true adventure began. “Coffee was not what it is today. There was Starbucks around but in terms of the magnitude of what it is today, it was not anywhere near” (Gervasi). Growing up in Brooklyn, NY he only knew coffee from the traditional Italian-American stand point where coffee was what you drank when you were together. “That style of coffee, that world of coffee, was not what you see today. It was/is a social gathering. Coffee today is the wine of yesterday”(Gervasi). The different regions, blends, undertones, notes, it all contributes to the experience of a cup of coffee, much like wine does.
Mr. Sal Gervasi has had the privilege of owning the Babylon Bean for 9 years now. “When I had this store, there were maybe 6 or 8 other coffee shops across Long Island. Today there are a couple hundred independent coffee shops on Long Island” Taking over the Babylon Bean in 2010, Mr. Gervasi has witnessed a change in the coffee culture.“Since 2010, the explosion of coffee, especially on long island, is because of Starbucks. Starbucks really paved the way. Without Starbucks, coffee wouldn’t be what it is today, they paved the way for all the independent coffee shops to appear, to grow, and to prosper”.
Starbucks was once an independent coffee shop in Seattle, now it is the coffee giant with 35,000 stores nationwide.
The transition from 2010 when he started this store to now, watching the growth of independent coffee shops become more mainstream, has been a blessing and a curse. “I feel gifted, not in the sense of talent, but given a gift of seeing something like this coming from nothing, to what it is now” (Gervasi).
People are more likely to crave the personable experience that Starbucks is lacking in independent coffee shops, but it also means more competition than ever.
“From the standpoint of business, owning a coffee shop is like owning a bar. You see hundreds of different people every day, you’re serving a product every day that is changing constantly. Different atmospheres, ideas, areas [of coffee houses] are popping up everywhere” (Gervasi).
The change in coffee culture has become one that is irreversible, and a gift to all coffee lovers in the world, but the question is why they started thriving now, today. According to Mr. Gervasi, “People seek out these little places to come because they look for the atmosphere of the overall, the neighborhood, and that’s what coffee does. Coffee brings people together, and I get to watch that everyday”(Gervasi).
Going into this interview I had the prenotion that mainstream franchises like Starbucks would actually be affecting your business in negative ways, but you said the opposite, they are if fact helping, how? “ Turn around, look, we’re like this everyday.” a Wednesday afternoon around 4:45pm, the Babylon Bean was packed, if it wasn’t for the barista saving me a table I would not have been able to find a seat.
“Do I really want to hang out in Starbucks, no. Do I want to hang out in Dunkin Donuts, no. But, they created the coffee monster. All we did here was fine tune it, we created an atmosphere where people want to see the locals, thriving in business. Where corporate runs the show. Starbucks is the beginning and end of the coffee giant. Starbucks controls the price of coffee on the market, and were reaping the benefit. Were taking that idea, [of an atmosphere where people want to hang out in] and amplifying it. With live music, open mic night, baristas, the unique atmosphere.”
So no, in fact Starbucks was not hurting the business of independent coffee shops, but in fact encouraging them to set up shop.
“The actual product [coffee] is the anchor, everything else, the location, atmosphere, brings your customers back.”
At the Babylon Bean, they have created a unique atmosphere that encourages people to come back everyday. The little quarks that make it unique is what keeps the brand alive. They have made a personable place that included an indigenous vibe that is found throughout Babylon.
“The atmosphere does it, the location, Babylon Village itself does it. The reputation, the employees that have been here for years, my employees are becoming owners. The neighborhood people want to hear good stories. They don’t want to come into a place and be given a number. We know their name, what goes on in their life. They come in here not only for a cup of coffee but to talk. That’s what we have here. That’s the atmosphere that Babylon is. Everything that a conversation has is what we encompass across the counter, instead of ‘what’s your name, sit down we’ll call you’. That’s what Starbucks is, but it works for them.”
“The experience, the familiarity, they are friends of the store, of us and that’s why my customers come back time and time again.”(Gervasi).
Crack, crackle, open, check. This is the process of coffee beans roasting. Going into this interview, I was under the impression that Georgio’s Coffee Roasters was another unique coffee shop, known to the Farmingdale area. I was wrong. Georgio’s Coffee Roasters was not only a quaint, little coffee shop, but in fact an entire coffee roastery where they roast and create all different types of coffee right there on site. When I walked in I was able to witness the Brazilian coffee being roasted for a large upcoming order, which was an experience in its own. Each batch of beans takes about 10-12 minutes to complete, so while we chatted, Georgio was doing what he does best.
Meeting with Georgio, his wife Lydia, and their best worker, Rich, I was able to ask questions based on their company and how they predict the future of coffee on LI. I was able to see the process of roasting coffee, what they do best, while I spoke with them behind the counter.
“We have been roasting coffee for seventeen years, and have been in the coffee business for twenty five years.” 30 years ago, he got started with a large coffee company, fell in love with the work, and after 18 years of working for coffee companies, he went solo. Being in the coffee business for this long, you have to know what you got and how to sell it. At Georgio’s, alongside roasting high end beans, some of which go for $300/ILB, they have a full espresso and coffee bar imported from Italy, where Rich can make latte magic happen.
Georgio’s has a different vibe to it than any other coffee shop I’ve visited. More industrial, intense, but still lighthearted and friendly, it is one where customers personally know Georgio and have a great start to their day. “I don’t want this place to turn into a restaurant, so there’s no wifi, no paninis, acai, just coffee.” At Georgio’s, there is only many variations of coffee and espresso on the menu, since this is the biggest seller is the coffee beans, that don’t have an issue with this. “[Other coffee shops] They need food, otherwise you won’t make it, when people ask how I have [made it], I often wonder the same thing myself. But, were different, we ship to 47 states and 9 countries.” Not only shipping to many places around the world, Georgio’s has the only cupping table and sample roaster on Long Island.
If you’re like me, and thought you knew about coffee, you are wrong, throw everything you thought you knew out the window. A cupping table is a table with ceramic cups, used to sample and taste different coffee types. A sample roaster is to roast a small amount of beans to understand them, and test them. Along with selling high end coffee beans, Georgio obtains the beans himself from each different, small, local farm located in many locations in Central and South America. He goes to the farm with his wife Lydia, visits each terroir, which is each section of the farm that has a different bean, and choses the best for his customers.
Starbucks, dinners/delis, McDonalds, they all have one thing in common, they use commercial grade coffee. At Georgio’s he personally picks the highest quality beans for each customer so that they get only high grade and best coffee product. Starbucks becoming the more mainstream coffee culture has not had any bearing on Georgio’s customer base. He feels that because people are used to Starbucks mediocre coffee, when they taste his there no competition, hands down he wins, every time. While I was there, I tried the El Salvador coffee bean, and it was nothing like I’ve ever tasted before. It was sweeter and lighter than any other coffee I’ve tried, and not because of any sugar.
While Georgio was busy checking and finishing his latest coffee batch, I spoke with Rich and got his opinion on the growth of the coffee culture. “Coffee has not become mainstream here just get, it’s growing each year thought” (Rich). The ambiance of coffee creates a community, there is the element of the relationships that you develop with each customer. There is always something new to learn, and the life of a coffee roaster is never boring. With all of the varieties of beans and keeping up with larger specialty companies, there is always work to be done.
Georgio’s Coffee Roasters is definitely what I would consider a hidden gem of Long Island, especially for those coffee lovers out there.
Interviewing both coffee shops has given me a gateway into the logistics of coffee shops, different types, and how they are being affected by the coffee giant.
Talking to Mr. Sal Gervasi of Babylon Bean gave me insight as to how Starbucks is in fact helping local coffee business in allowing the human nature to crave the personable experience. Although they are helping, Starbucks is creating more competition throughout different coffee shops.
Speaking with Georgio of Georgio’s Coffee Roaster which is another breed of coffee in its own. I understood better of the process of coffee before it gets distributed. I now understand the basic logics of coffee in general, how the beans are roasted, where they come from, and how they get sampled. According to Rich, coffee has not become as mainstream as he would have liked to see it.
There is so much of the coffee culture that Starbucks misses out on, and that can only be found in local coffee shops such as Babylon Bean and Georgio’s, that the coffee culture has a lot more room to grow, but it is growing each year.