The Worms' Turn
August 2009 Â www.specialty-coffee.com A t Brooklyn Standard Deli, the baristas brew the co ee, the customers drink it and the worms eat the grounds. at's right, worms! e 1,500-square-foot store, located on heavily tra cked Nassau Avenue in New York City's most populated borough, has set up a composting bin in a claw-foot bathtub in its backyard. Stocked with 11 pounds of worms and lled with shredded newspaper and cardboard (instead of earth), this busy little basin is a key element in helping the new shop to ful ll its commitment to be responsible to the environment and its neighbors. It doesn't hurt that there are real dollar savings as well. Our goal is to be zero waste, asserts Cody Utzman, the 31-year-old co-owner who also operates another Brooklyn eatery under the name Papacito's. Admittedly, we have a long way to go, but we're just getting started. e shop, which has been described as a bodega, a term that has come to mean virtually any sort of New York convenience store, got its start a scant few months ago, opening its doors on April 1. If Utzman and his partners, Kathleen (Kat) McEldowney and Matt Milletto, had any concerns about beginning the enterprise on All Fools' Day, these were quickly dispelled by their deli's instantaneous success. In the rst two months we were open, we averaged 28 percent growth per week, Utzman reports. In fact, our original oor plan included two tables and four chairs, but we had to remove them to make room for all the people lined up to reach the counter. e business has proved so successful that on June 22 the owners signed a lease for a second location, directly across Nassau Avenue from the Brooklyn Standard. Unlike the original store, the new, still un-named outlet, will look and feel more like a traditional co eehouse, with tables, chairs and maybe even some cozy furniture. It will encourage people to sit, relax and enjoy their co ee in comfortable surroundings. e Brooklyn Standard is strictly a stand up and take out place where consumers shop for batteries as well as beverages. Our intent from the beginning was to make this store accessible to everyone who lives in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, or is even just visiting, says Utzman. is is not the kind of establishment aimed at some snooty, self-anointed elite. Accordingly, the owners have set price points on popular items at a level that is acceptable for everybody, including construction workers, teachers, laborers, and even out-of-work investment bankers (of which New York has more than a few at present). Utzman says, Typically, a cup of co ee at a corner bodega is a buck, and a fried egg sandwich is $2. ey're the same here. But our quality is superior, and our concern for the environment resonates with younger professionals who are moving into this traditionally Polish ethnic neighborhood. Co ee at the Brooklyn Standard is from Stumptown, a premium roaster from Portland, Ore. Partner Matt Milletto, a boyhood friend of Utzman and now a respected, Portland-based authority in the specialty co ee industry, says, Our co ee program is simple. We do not try to o er too many menu items beyond traditional espresso beverages, iced co ees and a few other quality o erings. We want the co ee to speak for itself. We chose Stumptown based on relationships I have here in Portland and the training they provide for our employees, he continues. We're also pleased that they are now roasting in BY ALAN RICHMAN Composting is just one of the eco-strategies making this coffee shop greener and richer at the same time. August 2009 Â www.specialty-coffee.com The Worms' TURN Brooklyn Standard Deli 188 Nassau Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222 Web Site: www.brooklynstandarddeli.com 7 a.m.-11 p.m. every day Stumptown Nuova Simonelli VIP espresso machine, Mazzer grinders and Fetco brewers