Published:
By Kate Callahan '14
Two graduates of the School of Business are finding new ways to brew up business. While they may have different business plans, these alums share a winning blend: coffee and Connecticut.
Tradition meets innovation at Saccuzzo’s Coffee Company
Innovation is a matter of taste at Saccuzzo’s Coffee Company in Newington. Each single-origin green bean that comes by way of
Central or South America must please the palates of Vincenzo Saccuzzo and his sons Joe, Marco, and David.
“We have to like it first, to sell it,” says Joe Saccuzzo, who graduated in 1998.
Saccuzzo’s father arrived in the United States from Sicily when he was 22 years old. As the young man attended night school and learned to speak English, he grew disappointed that he couldn’t find a decent espresso to augment his studies. So in the 1980s, he opened his
own coffee company.
Joe, who lives in Wethersfield, assumed the role of vice president in 2010.
“I handle the warehouse operations part of the business — the receiving, testing, and sampling,” says Saccuzzo. “We all have a say in the day-to-day operations and the purchasing of the product, which is paramount. Once we commit to purchasing a certain origin of bean, we’re going to purchase quite a bit.”
The Saccuzzos, collectively, have discerning taste, which is what keeps their customers loyal. Innovation is in the details, from carefully cleaning the green beans to convection roasting and air-cooling the beans with the Saccuzzos’ own proprietary process.
The cleaned beans are stored in a specially engineered silo to prevent breakage, chipping, and loss of flavor. Finally, the beans are packed in a triple-layered bag with one-way degassing valves to lock in the freshness.
Saccuzzo notes, “We like customers who like the best products so we can continue offering it.”
And customer interest in coffee has risen since the business first opened, Saccuzzo says.
“With more curiosity about coffee comes interest in the nuances of how to make it better,” he explains. “Should I use carbonated water? Should I use seven grams of coffee or eight? Should I press it at 30 pounds of pressure?”
Even a global pandemic hasn’t stopped people from enjoying their daily pour. Saccuzzo reports that the company’s Amazon.com sales have increased three-fold, in some cases.
“People are still drinking their coffee,” he says, “just in a different location. We were fortunate to place an order for beans back in January and take delivery of it in the beginning of March.”
While the family-run company saw declines in orders from the coffee shops that make up half of their business, they remain optimistic about the enduring allure of a good cup.
To take a sip for yourself order online at the Saccuzzo Coffee website at https://www.icaffe.com; via Amazon; or at Connecticut coffee houses including Atticus Book Store and Koffee on Audubon in New Haven and The Farm in Woodbury. Or, pick up a pound or two straight from the source at Saccuzzo’s Newington store at 149 Louis St., where curbside pickup is available.
Rebels with a cause
You may have seen the Rebel Dog Coffee Co. billboard while driving south on Route 9. It’s a simple design: a solid black background with an illustrated outline, structured and linear, of a dog’s face. That’s it.
“‘Dog’ is the most Googled word, so there’s something there,” says Harrison Poltorak ’16, who co-owns Rebel Dog Coffee Co. with Peter Lemnotis, formerly of Confetti’s restaurant in Plainville. “We’re just not normal, so the name works.”
The brand of rebellion embraced by Rebel Dog’s owners isn’t necessarily about upheaval and disruption. Poltorak separates his business from the pack in more subtle ways.
“Ideology is shoved down people’s throats everywhere these days,” says Poltorak. “We want to make everyone who walks in feel like they’re part of this community. We’re good at bridging the gap between all markets of this community.”
Before any billboards popped up, Poltorak wrote up a business plan for an entrepreneurship course he was taking as a Central Business student. He
remembers taking it more seriously than some of his other assignments.
The focus of the plan: specialty coffee.
Poltorak’s plan is what convinced Lemnotis to partner with him and quite literally grow the Rebel Dog brand. Early this year, the original location at 393 Farmington Ave. in Plainville became the Tavern at Rebel Dog after it merged space with JV’s Taproom next door. A second location, serving specialty coffee and sandwiches, can be found at 345 Colt Highway in Farmington.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped Poltorak from dreaming up next steps, although he says the early days of the pandemic affected business significantly.
“There was a 30 to 50 percent drop in sales the first week,” he says.
But on March 17 the Rebel Dog team took the day to brainstorm and launch an aggressive take-out promotion offering buy-one-get-one-free dinners.
“We refused to close. We did our homework, following protocols to keep everyone safe. But closing wasn’t an option,” he recalls.
Rebel Dog swiftly returned to its pre-COVID numbers. The merger with JV’s Tap Room yielded not only Rebel Dog Tavern but also a plan to renovate the exterior in the Plainville location.
“We want to make our deck as comfortable as possible without having to fully enclose it,” Poltorak says.
Plans to build a roof structure and place industrial patio heaters on the deck will allow for outdoor seating.
“We are creating an outdoor oasis for the winter,” Poltorak notes.
Poltorak, who lives in Plainville, enthusiastically trusts the Rebel Dog team to carry out his rebellion, many of whom are students. It wasn’t too long ago that Poltorak himself was a college student with a vision. That’s why he has promoted staff to take on roles doing tasks at which they excel, like marketing and community engagement.
“They are as good, if not better, than us,” he notes. “I embrace my staff for what they are able to do and want to do for this company.”
Get to know the Rebel Dog team at www.rebeldogcoffeeco.com.