BROOKLYN FLAVOUR OR BROOKLYN BEANS

Jim Munson started Brooklyn Roasting Company with a simple idea - to give NYC sustainably-sourced, high-quality coffees roasted locally. Pretty quickly, BRC was servicing high end wholesale accounts in every borough of the city. But early momentum isn’t the same as overnight success, and it took time to get comfortable with it all. Jim says, “I have spent the last 30 years in business, and I probably became comfortable running a business five or 10 years after I first started working on it. So my break in period was a lot longer than 100 hours, but it did take time to feel comfortable in my business shoes, so to speak.”

Jim and the folks at Brooklyn Roasting Company say they are inspired and motivated by the people they work with, and the opportunity to explore the variety of flavors their products include. The bold, vibrant and diverse nature of Brooklyn is reflected not just in the flavors they sell, but in the brand’s design. “Our brand is saturated with the idea that the characters of our coffees and the characters of our customers are always changing. So our design is about the bold, colorful character of Brooklyn, in the bold, colorful character of our coffees. The fun of my job is that it's a very colorful environment.”

The experience of working on coffees is not just invigorating and inspiring, there’s a lot of comfort involved as well. Jim says “I work with great people. And every morning when I come into the office and make myself a different type of coffee, I am comforted by the fact that it tastes so good. I know that what we're doing is important because we wake up New York, and get people going about their business, whatever that is.” The satisfaction of the job is in the coffee, and knowing it’s being enjoyed by the people in their community. 

While coffee is one of life’s simple, great pleasures, that doesn’t mean making it is as simple as it looks. Hours and hours of great care and thought go into each roast. “Deciding on the specific recipe, the roast degree or roast curve of a particular bean is a time consuming process that involves a lot more concentration and discipline than most people probably think. When we buy a coffee from Indonesia or East Africa, we have to decide how we want to roast it to tease out the most expressive and impressive flavors. That process is not something that you do in 20 minutes, it takes days and weeks of trial and error and experimentation.”

The concept of Heritage connects deeply with the people at Brooklyn Roasting Company. “We are named after a borough that has an amazing coffee heritage, there have been many amazing coffee companies that have been based here. And we'd like to think that we're sort of the leading edge of that longstanding tradition.”

The staff at Brooklyn Roasting Company have quickly formed a bond with their new Yard neighbor ECCO. Pauline Gonzales told us “Growing up, I have always wanted to have a pair and, the first pair I owned of these amazing shoes was a gift from my parents.” Pauline wears the Track 25 High boot. The Heritage collection has also made a real impression with the team. Victoria Mahon wears the Staker Chelsea boot. She told us that she loves her Heritage collection boots because “they combine comfort, high quality and beautiful style. I think the shoes are perfect for both work and personal life because of their sophisticated street style and premium quality. I have been wearing them all the time and I don't want to wear any other shoes anymore.”

SIN Ceramics' Favorites

ECCO WOMEN'S GRAINER THERMAL BOOT
ECCO WOMEN'S GRAINER THERMAL BOOT
2 Colors

Photography by JC Cancedda