Crains New York - July 29, 2013 - (Page 30)
This is no ordinary joe
Continued from Page 29
SNIFF AND SIP: Toby’s
Estate in Williamsburg,
Brooklyn, offers “cuppings,”
or tastings, to customers.
Percolating sales
He’s got plenty of company at
the coffee bar. Total U.S. coffee
sales were $11.7 billion last year, a
65% jump from 2007, according to
data firm Euromonitor International. Whole beans currently represent about 10% of all sales. Sales
of small kitchen appliances—such
as coffeemakers—are also percolating, jumping 10% to $5.5 billion
last year, according to data firm
NPD Group Inc.
Unlike some niche hobbies,coffee is familiar to most adults, giving
an advantage to roasters and educators trying to win new converts
through tastings and workshops.
Counter Culture, a coffee wholesaler based out of Durham, N.C.,
that opened a Chelsea training
center four years ago, held its firstever class on brewing basic coffee at
home in late May. Similarly, Toby’s
Estate, an Australian roaster with
buck ennis
from Oklahoma in April.
These
days,
Mr.
McLaughlin spends his
mornings painstakingly
grinding beans and uses
an iPad timer and a 32ounce French press to
brew his daily joe, which
he drinks black. “I started
investing late last year—
I’ve got $200 or $300
wrapped up in this stuff.”
its sole U.S. location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, now gives daily
one-on-one lessons, up from a few
each month last year. Other roast-
There is a big
do-it-yourself
movement in
the coffee world
ers, including Blue Bottle and
Stumptown, host demonstrations,
which are dubbed “cuppings” and
involve sips and sniffs.
“There’s a big do-it-yourself
movement affecting the coffee
world,” said Lydia Iannetti, manager of the education program at
COLD BREWIN’
TO BEAT THE HEAT AND SAVE A FEW BUCKS, New Yorkers can make
their own iced coffee. And it’s easier than turning on the hot-water kettle.
The trend du jour is the cold brew, made with cold water and
popularized by the likes of hipster hangout Blue Bottle, which touts a New
Orleans-style version for $4 at its city locations, and Grady’s Cold Brew, a
two-year-old wholesaler that bottles its own chicory-laced concoction in
Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Try it at home. The following recipe is adapted from
BlueBottleCoffee.com:
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
15 ounces of ground coffee with roasted chicory, such as Café Du Monde
2.5 quarts of cold water
Cheesecloth
istock
DIRECTIONS
Combine coffee and water in a pot. Mix until combined, but be careful not
to over-aerate. Cover and leave on the counter for eight hours. Using the
cheesecloth, strain the mixture and discard the grounds. Serve on ice,
savoring that satisfying clink of cube in glass, and add whole milk in a oneto-one ratio. Add simple syrup to taste. Makes six delicious cups.
—ADRIANNE PASQUARELLI
30 | Crain’s New York Business | July 29, 2013
Counter Culture, which
will move to a larger location on Broome Street this
September to accommodate more workshops.
“The people who are
most likely to pay $75 and
come to a two-hour workshop on a Saturday are
really engaged and really
interested,” she said.
Once aficionados master the basic brew, also
known as the pour-over,
they can move on to
espresso. Toby’s, which has operated its 3,000-square-foot roasting
facility in Williamsburg for one
year, offers three espresso classes,
including one on how to make latte art.The heart is the easiest shape
to master, but many students eventually pull off the most difficult—a
rosetta, said Allie Caran, who runs
Toby’s Brew School. Such classes
are popular with couples and as
corporate outings.
“A lot of girlfriends buy it for
their boyfriends so their boyfriends
can make them coffee,” explained
Ms. Caran. Rarely is anyone deterred by the price, which is between $35 and $150 per class.
“They’re making this financial
commitment to a class because they
want to learn—this is their first
step to enjoying great coffee,” she
said.
Geujin Han, an art consultant
living in Greenpoint,Brooklyn,has
taken four of Ms. Caran’s classes.
The Korean-American first started
getting serious about coffee during
a visit to Korea,where he noticed an
explosion of micro-roasting cafés.
On his return to the U.S., he
bought an electric burr grinder for
$140 to get a more even grind, and
started using the Hario v60 brewer
for a pour-over brew. Now his obsession could become a real grind:
He’s planning to open his own café,
Crema BK, this fall near McGolrick Park in Greenpoint.
Proper prep is essential
“My interest in coffee has
turned into what I’m hoping to be
a business venture,” said Mr. Han,
who spends about two hours a day
experimenting with coffee.
But brewers, beware. Some
roasters are so finicky about their
products that they refuse to even
sell to businesses that do not take
the art of the cup seriously. New
York roaster Forty Weight Coffee
wholesales to 19 cafés, 10 of which
are in Brooklyn.The company personally trains all of the baristas who
use its beans. But according to coowner Andrew Ballard, two-yearold Forty Weight has 17 “graveyard” accounts that were dropped
because the cafés did not prepare its
coffee properly.
“If a café is doing a poor job representing our product, the consumer looks and says, ‘Oh, Forty
Weight, they suck,’ ” said Mr. Ballard. “If cafés can’t be bothered to
put in the time, effort, training and
money to do things correctly, they
aren’t welcome to use my coffee.”
SOURCE
LUNCH:
MERYL POSTER
by Adrianne Pasquarelli
Weinstein TV prez
eyes shmatte series
I
f Meryl Poster had her own
production company, she’d
call it Never a Dull Moment.
The entertainment producer
made a name for herself working on the award-winning films
Chicago and Cider House Rules, but
two years ago, she moved to the small
screen to become president of television for the Weinstein Co. Now the
Upper West Side resident has her
hands full with Project Runway, Mob
Wives and a handful of other reality
shows. She’s also juggling a few new
projects, including one that shines a
spotlight on the garment district.
After gaining acclaim in Hollywood, why
move into TV?
Midwest; you had the handsome guys
who were in the showroom, the salesmen. And you had the showroom
models and the Italian guys in the design room.And of course,the Mafia—
they were partners with everybody.It’s
basically the garment center’s dirty little secret that’s not such a secret.
What’s the timeline?
We should have a script in about two
months.In TV,there’s a much quicker turnaround. I want to do it for
Netflix.
Any other new projects in the works?
We have this project called Million
Dollar Shoppers for Lifetime that’s
going to be a huge hit. It’s independent personal shoppers—they go to
different stores and then they go to
their clients’ homes. You get to see
their homes and their closets, so it’s
real estate porn and fashion porn—
stuff everybody likes to see.
When I left Miramax after 16 years,
I left to take time for myself and my
family, but I found myself shopping
too much and had to get back to
work. I was always interested in TV.
I had developed In the Heights to
make as a movie, but it fell
apart at the last minute.
Making a movie is very
emotional and all-consuming. TV isn’t the same
investment.
ASELLINA
RISTORANTE
WHERE
THEY
DINED
Unscripted shows contribute
about $2 billion in direct
spending to New York’s
economy, double that of a
decade ago. How many of
your shows film here?
Most of them. I’d say 75%.
Project Runway and Project
Runway All Stars are at
Parsons. It’s hard to get
studio space here in New
York, but our company is
New York-based, and I’ve
always tried to do as much
work here as possible
because it’s my city. It’s
important to support it.
I understand you have a very
New York-centric project in
the works. What is it?
420 Park Ave.
South
(212) 317-2908
http://togrp.com
/togrp-asellina
AMBIENCE:
Countrified Italian
but with a modern
and swanky flair;
sleek couches are
mixed with rustic
wooden tables
WHAT THEY ATE:
Ⅲ Veal meatballs
with fresh tomato,
mozzarella and
basil
Ⅲ Grilled salmon
with Belgian
endive, string
beans, sliced egg
and rosemary
vinaigrette
Ⅲ Sparkling water
Project Runway has been
around for 12 years, but
viewership is shrinking. How
are you boosting ratings?
The popularity has waned
a little bit, but the show is
still consistently done well.
We’re doing more interaction with our audiences.
For example, Lifetime has
some contests that fans can
participate in. We’re also
integrating Tim Gunn a
little bit more into the
show this year.
How do you handle similar
shows, like NBC’s Fashion
Star with Jessica Simpson?
I pretend I’m a Nielsen
voter,and I never allow it to
play on my TV. It makes
me angry, but [the format
is] easy to copy and then it
doesn’t sustain itself.
Your son is in middle school
My dad worked in the garand your daughter is in high
ment center manufacturing
school—prime viewing age for
TOTAL: $50.46,
your shows. Do you watch
women’s swimsuits. At that
including tip
with them or seek their input?
time, in the ’70s, the neighborhood was very much like show I’m constantly running ideas by my
business, and I’m working on a script- kids.Yes,I want their opinion,but also
ed series about it, called Seventh Av- just as they share their lives with me, I
enue. It was an incredible lifestyle. like to share my life with them so they
Garment people went to nightclubs can understand what I do. If I’m not
and had the best seats for the shows home or miss something,they can unand for the singers. You had the pret- derstand what it is. I think that’s realty blonde chicks, the buyers from the ly important for a working parent. Ⅲ
INSIDE TIP: The restaurant isn’t just for
television producers. Recently spotted
celebrities include Justin Bieber and
members of the cast of Mad Men.
http://www.togrp.com
http://www.BlueBottleCoffee.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - July 29, 2013
IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
ALAIR TOWNSEND
GREG DAVID
REPORT: FOOD BUSINESS
FOR THE RECORD
REAL ESTATE DEALS
CLASSIFIEDS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE BREAKFAST
OUT AND ABOUT
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