North River Roasters (NRR)is Poughkeepsie’s first resident coffee roaster and the area’s only Community Supported Coffee Roaster (CSCR). Much like the CSA farms in the Hudson Valley, we aim to make high quality, locally roasted coffee available to those who want to know where their coffee came from and how it was made.

Who we are - Founder Feza Oktay began home roasting coffee beans in 2013. When daughter Chloe started working as a barista, things really started to heat up - getting just the right roast went from being a hobby to becoming a passion. Once family and friends got a taste, an idea was hatched - why not roast coffee for others? Thus was born North River Roasters.

Our Business Model - Our CSCR will offer memberships that provide weekly pickup of coffee roasted in small batches to ensure freshness and maximize flavor. Members will also have input into what coffees we buy and will enjoy community events to try new roasts and blends. NRR plans to feature coffees sourced from areas that represent the diversity of the Poughkeepsie community such as Oaxaca and Jamaica. We will also develop Community Blendssuch as the Arts, Walkway, Library and Underwear Factory blends, with a portion of the profits supporting these local organizations.

ThisCommunity Supported Coffee Roaster (CSCR)business will begin with a membership base and grow to include wholesale, retail and web-based sales. We plan to start small and grow with the neighborhood, hiring locally and offering internship opportunities for area youth. Longer-term, we plan to employ the “launch and convert” approach to the cooperative business model and turnNRRinto a worker-owned cooperative for sustained benefit to the community.

At North River Roasters,we impact the larger world through our local focus by:

  • Sourcing coffee beans that provide fair wages to farmers and are from farms employing sustainable farming methods
  • Using sustainable and recyclable materials
  • Promoting local community revitalization
  • Hiring local residents and youth
  • Giving back to the local community
  • Working towards B Corp certification

Sustainability

We are committed to running a business built on sustainable practices for processing, packaging and waste management, including:

  • Using compostable materials
  • Providing reusable tin cans for coffee distribution
  • Composting coffee chaff
  • Powering operations with wind energy