Coffees from South and Central America have found a new hub in Vernon, Connecticut, inside the new roastery and cafe of Radial Coffee.
Since the soft-opening of the 1,200-square-foot shop last month, guests have been relaxing upon the midcentury modern furniture in an atmosphere calmed by dark ceilings and natural wood elements, with daylight streaming in through large windows.
Wood, welded steel and a concrete top form the bar behind which the Radial logo mural echoes retail coffee bags on display. Those bags are filled at the other end of the space with coffees roasted on a shiny Loring S7 Nighthawk roaster.
Radial’s Loring S7 Nighthawk roaster.
A row of stools lines a seated counter built into the half-wall separating the roastery, where Radial Coffee Partner and Head Roaster Adam Bonaccorsi oversees production.
“When we developed the concept of Radial we set out to create a brand that was timeless, clean, and relatable, so we naturally carried that into our interior design,” Adam Bonaccorsi told Daily Coffee News. “There is a nice mix of old meets new. I like to call it ‘organic design.’”
Prior to the Radial venture, Bonaccorsi was the founding roaster for Tree House Coffee, an offshoot of local beer company Tree House Brewing.
“I was involved in some truly amazing projects and developed close relationships with producers that I still work with today,” said Bonaccorsi. “At Radial, we are sourcing green coffee solely from partners in Latin America. Part of our focus in sustainability is purchasing lots from the same producers year after year. By focusing on a smaller region it will allow us to better support our partners by buying in larger volumes as our business grows.”
Radial sources Guatemalan coffees from Pablo and Eva Del Cid, who are producers and exporters under the company name of Quality Coffees. Colombian coffees from the Antioquia and Nariño regions are sourced with the help of Juan Carlos, founder of Arango Specialty Coffee, and Radial’s decaf is purchased from Red Fox Coffee Importers.
Atop the concrete bar, espresso grounds from a Mythos Clima Pro grinder are extracted on a low-profile Synesso S200 machine, while grounds from a Mahlkonig EK43 grinder are percolated in batches by a Fetco NG series brewer.
“I have always wanted to make coffee accessible for people, so we typically aim to achieve a nice balance between sweetness and acidity while still roasting lighter,” Bonaccorsi said. “Our Cosa Nueva blend is the perfect example of this. Combining coffees from Guatemala and Colombia, it has an incredibly sweet milk chocolate base with hints of stone fruit as it cools.”
Adding to the current menu of fresh coffee and locally sourced baked goods will soon be breakfast sandwiches, smoothies and other lite fare prepared onsite in Radial’s 234-square-foot kitchen.
Radial was founded by entrepreneur Dipen Shah, who owns a liquor store and two Subway franchise locations in Vernon. Bonaccorsi and Cassy Gosselin joined as partners, and the trio is planning a grand opening celebration for later this month.
As the shop settles in, the focus will broaden to online roasted coffee sales and eventually wholesale.
“When we conceptualized Radial, we sought to create a brand that was synonymous with New England,” said Bonaccorsi. “It has been a humbling experience, and we would love to continue to grow and create more space for folks to enjoy.”
Radial Coffee Company is located at 1135 Hartford Turnpike (Route 30) in Vernon.