Economics
Big Coffee Has Problem as Craft Roasters Cut Out a Middleman
- Hipster demand for premium brew is hitting old-guard suppliers
- U.S. cafes roasting green beans in-house as machines get cheap
Jeff Bezos isn’t coming to Long Island City anymore, but the future of small-batch coffee roasting may already be taking root there.
About a mile north of the site that Amazon.com Inc. abandoned for its proposed New York City campus, a tiny coffee roasting co-op is welcoming anyone from cafe owners to hip consumers wanting to prepare their own green beans. Regalia’s model, which lets customers rent time at its roasting machines, is attracting a wave of trendy Americans looking to ditch the traditional brands that have long dominated the coffee scene in favor of specialty beans and a more artisan cup of joe.