Meet the Roasters: Stone Fruit Coffee

In the final week of our Meet the Roasters blog series, we feature an interview with Josh Langenheim, owner of Stone Fruit Coffee Company, with locations in Boardman, YSU campus, Cornersburg and Columbiana. With many investments in the Youngstown area, Josh can be described as nothing other than Youngstown Proud. Read on to learn more about Josh and Stone Fruit!

 

Hobby Gone Wild

Josh has always been a coffee enthusiast, with mornings spent roasting on his humble 0.5 machine and constantly experimenting with new flavors. But, at what point did his roasting hobby turn into a full-blown career?

Q. Why did you enter the coffee business?

A. This is a hobby that has gone wildly out of control. Before Stone Fruit, I was in marketing and it was a nonstop sort of thing; I was always traveling to North Carolina and everywhere in between. But, on Sundays I had time to myself and would spend a few hours in the morning roasting on my tiny little 0.5 roasting machine (it could only roast 1.1lbs at a time). My company’s Ohio location ended up closing and I decided to start something new by opening Stone Fruit. I was pretty good at marketing and I had a passion for coffee, so I thought why not market coffee?

 

Roasting the Stigmas

In the coffee world, ordering a simple cup of joe can get complicated pretty fast. Listening to someone in front of you order a “venti, half-sweet, non-fat, caramel macchiato with soy milk” can make your head spin. But, at Stone Fruit, visitors don’t have to worry about the coffee lingo or judgment, because over the years Josh and his team have worked hard to remove the negative stigmas surrounding artisan coffee shops by ensuring that everyone is welcome.

Q. What do you think makes Stone Fruit unique?

A. One of the main things we try to focus on is the negative connotations that are wrapped around third wave, artisan coffee. It can be a very pretentious and intimidating situation if you walk into a shop without knowing the difference between a latte and a cappuccino. At Stone Fruit we have removed that stigma. We have uniquely named all of our coffees (ex. “javachino”), putting everyone on equal playing ground. You can’t come in here and act like you know something more than someone else. Ultimately, there are no negative connotations or stigma.

 

Q. Can you describe your typical customer?

A. We get everybody from 14 to 400. Honestly, I think it’s because of the negative stigma that we have removed. We are just creating a nice, special environment where everyone can hang out.

 

Q. How does Stone Fruit contribute to the hospitality of Youngstown?

A. I think that if you put positivity out, positivity will come back. If you look at any of our social media, it is 99% positivity. We want everyone to feel welcome and I think that really improves the hospitality of Youngstown.

 

Even MORE Joe for YO

As we sat down with Josh, our interview was occasionally interrupted by the sounds of hammers and the smell of sawdust. Stone Fruit was a temporary “war zone” (as Josh put it) due to the shop’s latest development.

Q. Do you have any plans for Stone Fruit in the near future?  

A. We are getting a 45 kilo coffee roaster to hopefully support many more Stone Fruit locations. We look to start providing coffee for other local businesses as well. Right now, we are serving coffee at the Springfield Grille and we have been in negotiations with a lot of other high-end restaurants.

Whether old or young, coffee expert or beginner, Stone Fruit welcomes you to any of their locations! Stop in to visit Josh and enjoy a cup of “javachino.” To travel the Joe in the YO Coffee Trail, visit this page for your passport and a list of participating locations. To learn more about places to go and things to see in the Youngstown area, check out the Mahoning County Convention & Visitors Bureau website and follow @YoungstownLive on social media!

Stone Fruit Website: https://stonefruitcoffee.com/
Stone Fruit Insta: @stonefruit_coffee
Stone Fruit Facebook: @Stonefruitcoffee

Meet the Roasters: Branch Street Coffee

Welcome back Joe in the YO enthusiasts! This week, Meet the Roasters features an interview with Matt Campbell, owner and roaster extraordinaire at Branch Street Coffee Roasters, located in Boardman. With trips to coffee-growing countries to source the best-available beans, precise weighing methods and latte foam art, Branch Street knows their coffee! But don’t take it from us, see what Matt has to say about his business and experiences.

 

Why the Coffee Business?

When you hear “emergency room” and “coffee” you might not think of many similarities. However, a coworker actually introduced Matt to the artisan coffee world during his career in the medical field. Matt’s background in imaging for oncology and emergency room CAT scans not only introduced him to the coffee industry, but also helps a lot when it comes to operating the roaster and understanding the science behind developing delicious coffee beans.

Q. Why did you enter the coffee business?

A. About 7 or 8 years ago, I was introduced to fresh-roasted coffee while I was working in nuclear medicine. My coworker insisted that I try it and from my first couple sips, I immediately noticed a huge difference from regular coffee, and I fell in love with it.

Q. So you decided to make the change from medicine to being a coffee entrepreneur?

A. Yes. Working in oncology for five years got to be a bit depressing. Coffee was exciting. There was a coffee shop just down the road, and the owners took me on as an apprentice. They taught me about the business end of running a coffee shop, how to roast coffee beans, and the science behind roasting as well.

 

Q. Can you explain your roasting process?

A. We roast two days out of the week, and we roast all of our varieties each time we roast. Each batch takes us between 10-13 minutes, depending on what we’re doing with that coffee. Each coffee has its own unique profile or recipe and we adjust the temperatures and air flows depending on how the coffee likes to be roasted.

Cappuccino with a Splash of Story 

Whether you like your coffee black, sweet or somewhere in between, Branch Street has a flavor (and a story) for you!

Q. What do you think makes Branch Street unique?

A. We try to find relational coffees. We want the coffee to have a story behind it and we really showcase the hard work that goes into it from the producer’s standpoint. We also only roast coffees on the light spectrum, but even dark roast people can find something that they love here because we have full-bodied coffees.

 

Q. What is your most popular drink?

A. Our seasonal lattes and single origin coffees are probably our two best sellers. (We would definitely recommend trying their fall special, the Salted Maple Latte. It has a sweet maple flavor and comes with fantastic foam art on top.)  

        

Beyond Business: Giving Back

Some of the Branch Street staff recently took a trip to Peru to visit several coffee farms and learn more about the source of their beans. Matt shares his Peru experience and some pretty exciting plans for the future.

Q. Can you talk about your trip to Peru?

A. We recently visited five different coffee farms in Peru, where we met with the families who own the farms and observed their harvesting and processing quality. I went down there with great admiration for the work that the growers and producers were doing, but to have them show us how it actually works and to see what they actually have to do to get a cup of coffee on our table is outstanding. The coffee bean farmers in Peru are some of the most honest, humble and hardworking people that I have met. 

One of the things that we focus on at Branch Street is finding a relationship. So, we will be bringing coffee back from three of the farms that we visited in Peru and part of our coffee proceeds will go back to the hands of those farmers. The money will go towards upgrading their facilities and will help them produce better coffee for future years.

If you’re searching for a sustainable, unique and compassionate shop with artisan-crafted coffee, then Branch Street Coffee Roasters is the place for you! Matt’s passion for artisan coffee has brought about ownership of a second coffee shop, Generations Coffee Lab, located in nearby Columbiana, so be sure to check out that location as well! To travel the Joe in the YO Coffee Trail, visit this page for your passport and a list of participating locations. To learn more about places to go and things to see in the Youngstown area, check out the Mahoning County Convention & Visitors Bureau website and follow @YoungstownLive on social media!

Branch Street Coffee Roasters Website: https://branchstreetcoffee.com/
Branch Street Insta: @branchstreetcoffee
Branch Street Twitter: @BranchStreetCR

Meet the Roasters: High Octane Coffee

For those of you that have been traveling the Joe in the YO Coffee Trail – and for those that are just now joining us – welcome to our new blog series called “Meet the Roasters.” Over the next few weeks, we’ll introduce you to the owners of three local coffee shops that actually source their own beans and roast them in-house. We sat down with some of these coffee connoisseurs to get the inside scoop on their backgrounds, their shops and their customers.

This week features an interview with Joe Sylvester, owner of High Octane Coffee, a 1950s service garage-inspired shop located in Canfield. 

 

From Racing to Roasting

While Joe Sylvester might be known for some delicious coffee, he may be better known for his successful racing career. Since 2006, Joe has had a successful career in monster truck competitions and racing, and even secured the Guinness World Record for Longest Monster Truck Jump (237 feet). So, why did Joe transition from racing to owning a coffee shop?

Q. Why did you enter the coffee business?

A. I’ve raced my whole life; I’ve traveled the whole world. And through all the traveling that I’ve done, I’ve had to be awake for crazy hours, with late stays at hotels and waking up in the morning for live interviews. Because of this schedule, coffee became a big part of my daily routine. I would get coffee from anywhere- diners, gas stations- until one day I actually had specialty, artisan-roasted coffee and was mind-blown because it tasted so much better than what I was used to. After this, I developed a stronger passion for coffee and decided that I wanted to start a business that I could grow for the rest of my life.

What Makes High Octane Unique?

From coffee named “Gasoline Alley” to shiny car parts hanging from the walls, High Octane has definitely done a good job at not blending in with the average coffee shop. Despite its racing roots, what else makes High Octane stand out?

Q. How does High Octane stand out from other local coffee shops?

A. I knew that I wanted to offer not just good coffee, but a completely unique experience that gives a different vibe and atmosphere. We host car shows at High Octane, we play rock music on the radio and all of our marketing is a little bit more edgy.

 

Q. Can you explain what your roasting process entails?

A. We roast eight different coffee beans from places like Colombia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Guatemala and Mexico. Our roaster has the capability of roasting 640 pounds per day, but we typically roast 60-200 pounds of coffee beans each week for High Octane.

 

Q. What is your most popular drink? What special items do you offer?

A. Overall, people like iced lattes, everyone seems to have their own flavor that they like. The Buckeye Outlaw is probably our number one seller and one of my favorites. We also make handspun, old diner-style milkshakes.

            

What Fuels High Octane

While it’s no surprise that coffee keeps most YO locals running, we wondered what fuels High Octane. Between their loyal customers and personable baristas, this shop runs on more than just coffee.

Q. Can you describe the people that typically come to High Octane?

A. Guys with grease under their fingernails, those are the kind of guys that like to come here because they’re comfortable here. In general, we have a lot of regulars and locals, but because of my racing career we also get visitors from out of town that want to see High Octane.

 

Q. We believe that coffee is hospitable. How does High Octane and its baristas aid in the hospitality of its community?

A. I don’t stress so much that our baristas’ drinks are perfect. Instead, the biggest thing for us is attitude and the general way that we project ourselves to customers. It’s more important that our baristas have a positive attitude and personality- that’s what gets people to come back.

 

Down the Road

Boardman locals will be happy to hear Joe’s recent focus for High Octane’s future!

Q. What are your plans and goals for High Octane?

A. We’re hoping to have our new Boardman location open by next month. Other than that, I have no desire to own more than one store. I want to have one store as the main, flagship location and then franchise the rest, including the Boardman store.

 

While we did our best to capture the essence of High Octane, you will have to pay Joe and his baristas a visit if you want to truly experience one of the most unique coffee shops in the Youngstown area! To join the Joe in the YO Coffee Trail, visit this page for your passport and a list of participating locations. To learn more about things to do and see in the Youngstown area, check out the Mahoning County Convention & Visitors Bureau website and follow @YoungstownLive on social media!

High Octane Website: https://high-octane-coffee-company.myshopify.com/
High Octane Insta: @highoctanecoffee
High Octane Twitter: @gethighoctane
Joe Sylvester Insta & Twitter: @joesylvester8