Winchell Mountain Coffee Roasters
was founded on a simple philosophy:
​
​
Good Coffee Doesn’t
Have to be Complicated.
​
We have been practicing the same roasting methods passed down through the family since 1973 with one goal in mind, crafting the perfect cup of coffee using simply heat & hands. Our master roaster, Willis Rivkin, starts by carefully sourcing high-quality beans from all over the world, which are then roasted in small batches at our roastery in Pine Plains, New York.
Our goal as a coffee company is simple, we’re here to take the guesswork out of choosing great coffee. So you can sit back, relax and cozy up to a cup of Winchell Mountain Coffee.
THE HISTORY OF
WINCHELL MOUNTAIN COFFEE
1903
The Schapira family begins roasting and selling coffee in New York City. Schapira's helps to set the standard for coffee roasting in America and will one day be the company that Winchell Mountain Coffee Roasters inherits their roasting methods from.
1973
Schapira's moves to Pine Plains, New York and Bob Rivkin joins the team as the head roaster. Bob began to set into place the thoughtful and creative roasting techniques that Winchell Mountain Coffee Roasters would one day be born from. We consider this the true moment of founding for WMC because it was this point in time that triggered the events that lead to the creation of our business!
1982
Before the early eighties, true coffee roasters only had about a thirty-six to forty-eight hour window before their coffee would start to go stale. In 1982, Bob Rivkin ventured out in hopes of finding a better way to package their coffee. While the technology for vacuum packaging did exist in Europe, it was non-existent in the states. After meeting with a gentleman from Italy named Luigi Goglio, Bob had finally brought the technology that had once seemed unattainable from Europe to the States. What intrigued Bob most about this technology was the ability to literally stop time. Meaning that once the coffee had been vacuum packaged in the Goglio one way valve bags, time did not seem to matter. The thirty-six to forty-eight hour window suddenly became a four to six month window. Vacuum packaging eventually became the industry standard, but Schapira's was truly the first to do it and do it right.
1999
Willis Rivkin, son of master roaster Bob Rivkin, and Allen Ricca, son of a small business owner, meet at boarding school and quickly become best friends. They begin to ruminate on big ideas of following their respective father's footsteps and starting a business together one day.
2009
​Fresh out of college and ready to pursue their dream of owning a business together, Willis and Allen start Winchell Mountain Coffee Roasters. Training closely under his master roaster father, Bob, and using the same equipment Bob had been using for over 40 years, Willis takes on the role of Roaster while Allen begins to create relationships with local vendors and businesses.
2021
While we maintain the same high-quality roasting styles we've been using since we began, we decided it was time for a change for Winchell Mountain Coffee Roasters. We spent months and months on a new rebrand and we hope you love it!
WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR US!
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