Armeno Coffee Roasters
Fine coffee roasted to perfection
By Kate Daly Contributing Writer

PHOTO/KATE DALY (l to r) John Parks and Chuck Coffman, owners of Armeno Coffee Roasters

Northborough - Armeno Coffee Roasters at 75 Otis St., Northborough, sells single-estate fresh-roasted coffees, premium teas and single-estate wines in a historic mill. Owners John Parks and Chuck Coffman bought the business eight years ago.

Most common misconception: "That coffee grows brown," Parks said. "Coffee is a green seed that once it's roasted should really ideally be used within two weeks of roasting … Fresh coffee really does taste a lot better."

How did you get started in the business? "My interest in coffee goes way, way back," Parks said. "My mom used to have a gourmet store in Philadelphia back in the '70s. I used to work there when I was a kid. I took a trip to Costa Rica … and visited a couple of coffee plantations, brought some coffee back … I was the only one in my whole college, probably, who had an espresso machine in my room.

"Basically when I moved into Northborough, the original owners Kathy and Paul [Kalenian] had just started up the business here and I started working here part-time on the weekends and pretty soon bought into the business with them and then they sort of moved in a different direction making coffee extracts and Chuck and I purchased the business in 2000."

What's the latest trend in your business? "I guess the latest interesting trend would be fair trade coffees and making the smaller plantations globally competitive, guaranteeing the farmer a minimum of $1.60 a pound," Coffman said.

What's the best advice you ever received? "The best advice I ever got was treat others as you'd want to be treated yourself," Coffman said. "I guess the key to success for me and John is if we're open, one of us is always here. It's not like we're relying on … people who aren't informed in coffee … Consumers wanted to be guided … in the right direction."