28 January 2022 | 29 mins

Episode 32: New York City’s specialty coffee scene: The past, present and future

On today’s podcast we’re heading to the city that never sleeps to explore the past, present and future of New York’s influential specialty coffee scene.

We’ll be speaking with coffee writer Ever Meister to find out how New York became a global centre for coffee culture and why the city's love affair with caffeine endures to this day

We’ll also hear from the founders of two iconic NYC specialty coffee chains, Chi Sum Ngai and Kaleena Teoh of Coffee Project New York, and Caroline Bell of Café Grumpy, to discover what’s happening on the streets of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and beyond and get their take on where the specialty market is headed.

Credits music: "Friends" by Katie Kittermaster for The Coffee Music Project

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Guests

Ever Meister

Coffee author and storyteller

Ever Meister is a coffee writer, journalist and storyteller and author of “New York City Coffee: A Caffeinated History”. Meister started their career as a barista in New York while studying journalism before moving on to wholesale account management and green coffee sales. Today, Meister works full time in coffee education, communication and marketing.

Chi Sum Ngai & Kaleena Teoh

Co-founders, Coffee Project New York

Coffee Project New York was founded in 2015 by Chi Sum Ngai and her partner Kaleena Teoh to share their passion for coffee with New York City’s East Village neighbourhood. Five years and three additional locations later, Coffee Project New York has opened a roastery and the state’s only Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Premier Training Campus.

Caroline Bell

Co-founder and CEO, Café Grumpy

Caroline Bell founded Café Grumpy with her business partner in 2005 in Brooklyn and now has 12 locations across the city, an in-house roastery and an RTD beverage offering. Café Grumpy is certified as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise by NYC and is committed to constant improvement with a focus on community, sustainability and social responsibility.

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