"Hold onto your butts." - Ray Arnold, Jurassic Park.
We've got a lot of ground to cover and we're going to try to keep this concise despite our wordier tendencies.
We moved to Bangor, Maine. More specifically, BTC will be roasting coffee in Old Town, Maine pretty soon... you know, famous Old Town of "Old Town Canoes!" This might seem random. …It kind of is. What's the deal? A lot of things.
I, Charlie, could yammer on and on about a lot of things. But the easiest thing to point to is that my wife got a super cool job offer to work at UMA's library in Bangor. It's exactly the type of work that she went to school for, the exact opportunity she's been waiting a good chunk of time for, and an incredible team to be a part of. I’m proud of her and what she’s achieved. We should all be so lucky to do the things we want to do in life. I think librarianship is a noble profession and I'm so excited for her to begin this chapter. I met Cory when I was nearing the end of my stint working for roasters on the West Coast and making plans to move back to Philly to begin BTC. Cory was brave enough to leave her hometown so that I could get this company started and I’m forever indebted to her for that. Beyond that, she’s been an incredibly supportive partner in my/BTC’s pursuits, which has cut into our personal lives more often than not (“what’s free time?” said any business owner, anywhere, ever). I wanted to be able to properly support her with her goals in Bangor.
It’s also a home coming of sorts: While neither of us had ever been to Bangor before, Cory’s great, great grandparents moved from Lebanon (when it was still part of Syria) to Bangor in the 1880’s and her family lived there for about 100 years. Pretty neat me thinks…
(BTW, I’m excited to do the BTC thing up here, too!)
But Philly and PA: Know that we love you and you're in our hearts, like the fat from so many roast pork sandwiches that have surely begun to mess with our blood circulation by this point. There's a certain vivid green that is so powerful and unique that we'll be missing about spring and summer in PA (I know that it's green up here in a great way... but it's a different thing in PA). I will be sure to "boo" every Santa that I see, and God willing, climb any/many street posts if/when applicable. I will also never call a hoagie a “sub” because that's simply not correct, duh. Further, we are over the moon to still be featured at Rally, Riverwards Produce, and some up-coming brews from Brewery Ars! We will attempt to live in Philly vicariously through their delicious vibes. Also, I'm going to miss seeing so many friends and colleagues around! EEEEEK!
Lastly, let's talk about Gabe Boscana and Maquina Coffee. Because I’m not sure if BTC would even exist without his help.
“ORIGIN STORIES!”
Gabe is an old buddy of mine. Gabe's career and influence in/on Specialty Coffee in the US go pretty far back. Honestly, he's kind of been a crucial figure at most of the original good coffee spots on both coasts. I met Gabe in 2009 when I was working at Philly's first specialty shop, Spruce Street Espresso and he happened to wander down a street and see a La Marzocco machine in the window (this was basically how you navigated coffee back then). As chance had it, a few years later, we both worked together at a roasting space in the Bay Area in the early 2010's. I've said it before and I'll say it again, most things that I know about coffee sourcing and roasting were brought to my attention in those years working with Gabe. Fast forward to 2018, we both moved from Oakland to the Philadelphia area.
”PANDEMIC TIME CURVE BALLS!”
At best, the pandemic has been a rocky time for everyone! Due to circumstances that were out of our hands, we were forced to relocate our operation during the middle of the pandemic. Finding a place to roast coffee isn't easy during normal times. Typically you need an abundance of natural gas, three phase power, and a safe means of venting super hot coffee exhaust. It's no small task and learning this news was :-(
”HERO OF THE DAY, BY METALLICA BUT ACTUALLY BY GABE”
When I clued Gabe in over the phone about my situation, he offered his space as a stop gap measure... for free... and with no restrictions on when I needed to be out by. Why? Because he's a genuinely thoughtful, generous, and caring person.
I love Gabe. He's essentially my big brother and there's absolutely no way, now more than ever, that this company could have ever existed or continued to exist without his help and guidance. I’m serious. Every step of the way, he’s been there for me. How do you repay someone like this??? I don't know. But I and BTC are forever indebted to him. I'm grateful to have him in my life. I'm going to truly miss seeing Gabe around, cutting it up with him, and drinking coffee with him. But I'm looking forward to future visits to PA with him + teaching him how to hunt landlobster when he visits us up here.
Okay, that's the deal. Sorry I've been so distant. Just busy. Love ya.
-cb/btc