NORTHBOROUGH – A building rich in history is now permeated by the rich aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans.
In 1727, a mill was constructed near Smith Pond in Northborough and began producing flour and wood materials. By 1911, the Armeno Cereal Company was using the building to produce wheat, becoming the first place in the U.S. to make couscous and tabouli. The mill passed through three generations until Paul and Kathy Kalenian opened Armeno Coffee Roasters in 1994. Thirty years later, the business is still roasting away.
Today, head roaster John Parks and Chuck Coffman, who handles the logistical operations, co-own the business. While the building is reminiscent of the 18th-century mill — complete with turn-of-the-century agricultural equipment and homages to the Armeno cereal enterprise — Parks and Coffman now use the space to roast over 5,000 pounds of coffee beans per week.
It’s all roasted fresh; there’s nothing sitting around here.
“I had an espresso machine in my dorm room, which was very unusual at the time, though it’s probably commonplace these days. I’ve always been into coffee … and I started to buy from local roasters,” Parks told the Community Advocate. “When my wife and I moved to this area, this place just happened to open up, and I started working here and investing. I’ve been here ever since.”
When it comes to coffee, fresh is best — and locally roasted is better. Armeno Coffee Roasters uses only mid-crop, 100% Arabica beans, which are delivered directly to the Northborough building and carefully roasted by Parks and Coffman. Like an “open kitchen,” the whole operation can be seen from the retail part of the store. Armeno offers 50 types of coffee; each batch, from the light roasts to the dark roasts, is made with the utmost care.
It’s just coffee to some. To the people at Armeno, it’s an art and a science.
“We control the heat from the outside, as well as the amount of draft that goes through the drum. The first half of the roasting process is more of a conductive heat, then the second half is convective. Hot air slows down the roast, toasts the coffee to where we want it. What we’re doing is caramelizing the sugars inside the coffee bean,” said Parks.
“It starts with good, fresh beans,” he added. “But even with the best beans, the roasting process needs to be great.”
Armeno Coffee Roasters is excited to help you pick the best coffee. Whether it’s the fan-favorite Cowboy Blend, the Wachusett Blend, or one of the highly anticipated seasonal options like Holiday Cheer — exclusively roasted from November to January each year — there’s so much about high-quality coffee to discover and enjoy.
“I just love talking to customers and hearing their response about what we’re doing. We have no salespeople. It’s all word of mouth. People walk in here for a reason, and we like to walk them through all our flavors. We love what we do; it’s a real mom-and-pop operation,” said Coffman.
Come for the coffee, stay for the wine. Armeno Coffee Roasters has a variety of wines from local vineyards and offers regular wine-tasting activities. The company takes pride in its selection, and the wine pairs nicely with the coffee biz.
“It was a good fit because it’s a lot of the same adjectives. Lots of the same clientele, as well. Somebody who is going to search for a specialty cup of coffee in the morning might have a nice glass of wine on the weekends,” said Parks.
Armeno Coffee Roasters is located at 75 Otis St. in Northborough. For more information, please visit https://armeno.com/, call (508) 3932821, or email the company at [email protected]. The location is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
