Vermont Artisan prepares to percolate in new spot

When customers and curiosity seekers make their initial entrance into the new Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Co. in Waterbury Center they may feel like they’re entering a new galaxy in the coffee brewing world.

The big, red barn-like structure of just under 15,000 square feet features several large silver silos, the bean storage compartments of the operation. Close by are four brand-new coffee roasters, the high-speed engines that convert the green bean base into the familiar dark roasted beans. One of them is a wood-burning roaster.

Finally, the still-shiny piece of coffee roasting equipment from their previous location in Waterbury, at Commercial Drive, rests in proximity to the newer elements, all in clear sight within the industrial area of the new coffee roasting operation.

By the time all is done, Artisan customers will be able to enjoy their java while sitting at a contemporary bar meant to enhance the coffee-drinking experience.

“This is Mané’s vision,” Holly Alves said recently about her husband and business partner, Manuel “Mané” Alves, who was out of town when the Waterbury Record stopped in for an interview.

Alves says Mané’s path was straightforward, despite taking many different traveling routes to get to where the company is now.

In 1998, Mané, a native of Lisbon, Portugal, started an international coffee-tasting business where he traveled often to Columbia, Brazil and Guatemala — all coffee meccas.

“He kind of backed into the whole thing,” Alves said.

The objective was simple, Alves said. If Mané could make coffee that he likes, it would do well.

The new building, located at 11 Cabin Lane in Waterbury Center, features a spiffy coffee bar on the south end of the new structure. Its decor is of a light wood nature, and the top-of-the-line equipment ranges from regular coffee brewers to espresso makers.

The complex, slated to open in June, won’t just be a full-service roasting and serving company. Sister company Coffee Lab International and School of Coffee trains people in coffee grading, roasting and cupping and barista services, and offers assistance in the form of coffee analysis, blend development, sourcing and purchasing, consulting and more.

“The consumer has gotten a lot more savvy about good coffee,” Alves said. “They expect more from roasted coffee.”

Recently, Vermont has proven itself to be a hub for good coffee — Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is a longtime Waterbury standby, and Brave Coffee & Tea, which opened in 2009, brews out of Waterbury Center — and has long been known for its ice cream, maple syrup, its dairy products and craft beer.

“I want to have a nice mix of both local customers and tourists,” Alves said. “I’m hoping this will be a destination.”

Alves augments her position by pointing out the thousands of tourists who traverse Route 100 from Stowe and Waterbury.

Maxwell Duquette, who has worked in various capacities for Artisan for the past seven years, is sort of the point person in the operation, explaining to visitors what it all entails.

The new machinery “allows us to control the brewing variables,” Duqette said. “It also allows us to offer a variety of coffees at one time.”

In another part of the cavernous building, there’s a room holding all the tea before it gets bagged into smaller packets. Tea varieties and blends, including Darjeeling, chai masala, green jasmine, hibiscus blossom and rooibos are all kept inside big rubberized storage containers.

In order to become an “expert” in coffee circles, Duquette says it often requires a “mentor-mentee relationship.” It’s learning by doing.

“There’s no such thing as a master’s degree or a Ph.D. in coffee,” he laughs. “It’s a true craft.”