- Adam Bossie, Founder -
Roots: When you grow up in a strong Italian family - food is the center of everything. By the age of 14, not only did I have a curious palate - but also a job at New Jersey’s The Fromagerie, French restaurant, where I spent seven years, on and off between school. There, I assisted front and back of house and cultivated a more ‘epicurean’ approach to food and wine. This culinary culture, coupled with my desire to explore the world of business world, built a solid foundation for the start of a new venture.
Moment of Truth: Eating and traveling are, hands down, my greatest passions. I recall one of these moments (maybe like culinary enlightenment) vividly. I was on my second trip to Switzerland in 2007 and my train to Brig had just departed. A man with a mobile coffee cart presented me with an espresso, a piece of dark chocolate and a small, sugary biscuit. The espresso itself was chocolate-y, floral and nutty all at once... flavors I never thought could exist so vividly in an espresso. A few months later, back in New York City, every coffee I drank was bitter and uneventful. Somewhere between that cross-country train in Switzerland to cross-city F train in Manhattan, the thinking behind Coffee Afficionado began.
3 Words That Best Describe Me: Passionate, Persistent, Paranoid (in that cautious, double-check everything kind of way).
When I’m Not Working: I’m spending time with Grady, my German Shepard. He rides shot gun and is usually the first one to hear my latest brainstormings.
Extracurriculars: snowboarding, beer-making, traveling, cooking, hiking
Coffee Afficionado is... The pursuit of perfection - in a cup.
Coffee Afficionado is Different Because: We take a very culinary-minded approach from plant to cup and that’s what makes us approachable. We spend most of our time in restaurant kitchens with the chefs and we’re always uncovering new flavors and redefining how we think about our product. Coffee is a complicated industry, but thankfully, for Coffee Afficionado - a taste is worth a 1,000 words. Once someone tastes our coffee blends - they believe in what we do.
What’s in My Cup: In the summer - more acidic blends and in the winter - the heavier-bodied varieties. Our Circa blend is our most versatile.
- Paul Merces, Founder -
Roots: I was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey - not far from Adam. For me, there was never really a ‘conscious pursuit of taste’ - instead - my exposure to new flavors happened naturally. I’m 100% Portuguese so there was always that intrinsic tie between culture and cuisine. For special occasions my family would cook dishes that had been passed down through the years and we’d frequent Teixeiria’s Bakery down the block. In this way, my interests, whether on the culinary side or in the realm of work - were always fueled by family. We owned an electrical motor manufacturing company which is what really sparked my interest in engineering - and later, allowed me to fabricate Coffee Afficionado’s first roaster from spare parts.
Moment of Truth: Looking back, it’s hard to imagine a time when I didn’t have a coffee cup in hand. My friends had joked that I might someday be in the coffee business because, in a way, the intrigue, the need... was so second-nature. So, when Adam came to me complaining that there wasn’t any ‘quality’ coffee around - I leapt at the opportunity to get into the industry.
3 Words That Best Describe Me: passionate, hard-working, never-settle-for-anything-less
When I’m Not Working: You’ll probably find me out in my car...music up, windows down. It’s always been a good way for me to clear my mind.
Extracurriculars: jet-skiing, running, drag racing, skiing
Coffee Afficionado is... Taste above all!
Coffee Afficionado is Different Because: We really put an emphasis on a coffee’s origin and how it fits into the flavor profiles that we’ve defined. We are constantly sampling coffee and putting the beans through different roasts to see what flavors we’re able to extract. It’s a science that not everyone has the patience for, but - we’re not going sacrifice the quality of our coffee. No chance. We’d rather take the hit because at the end of the day, you have to be behind your product 110% - not your profit.
What’s in My Cup: For me, the perfect cup has a mild chocolate sweetness with a slight acidity to round it all out - a.k.a. Our Dolce Blend
