As Demand For Gourmet Coffee Grows, Lower Bucks County Business Expands

It’s more and more common for Americans to start their day with a cup of coffee, and in many cases, they start with a gourmet brew, according to data released last year by National Coffee Association USA.

The increase in coffee drinkers, which is being led by young consumers, has reversed years of coffee consumption declines in America.

The increased consumption has been good news for gourmet coffee roasters and coffee shops. Locally, that has trickled down to an increase in coffee shops and roasting businesses across Lower Bucks County.

In the past few years, Calm Waters Coffee Roasters in Bristol Borough, Covered Bridge Coffee Roasters and Loose Leaf Tea, Pretty Bird Coffee Roasters in Yardley Borough, and Richboro Coffee in Northampton have all opened to take advantage of the trend and offer a warm cup of joe.

One of those businesses – Covered Bridge Coffee Roasters and Loose Leaf Tea – recently expanded to keep up with growing demand in Bucks County.

The company, which started three years ago when two business people were introduced by chance, has grown from a small warehouse facility in Hulmeville Borough to a new, larger facility in Lower Southampton.

Covered Bridge Roasters and Loose Leaf Tea owners Tracey Dornisch-Cramer and Larry Murphy said they had outgrown their previous location and were looking for a larger space, which they found at 220 Elmwood Avenue.

Their new building has allowed the company to purchase a larger roaster, add more storage space for beans from straight from the port, and expand their retail storefront that is open to the public.

Murphy, owner of Middletown restaurant Tre Fratelli, and Langhorne Coffee House owner Dornisch-Cramer hatched the idea for Covered Bridge Roasters and Loose Leaf Tea after a few meetings at the Fireside Smokehouse in Lower Southampton and went to work. Before diving into the coffee roasting business, Murphy and Dornisch-Cramer had never met, but both had experience running businesses and in the food service field.

Ironically, the owners pointed out, Fireside Smokehouse is a property or two away from their new building.

“This is really the business coming full circle,” Murphy said with a chuckle.

Dornisch-Cramer explained that customers at the Langhorne Coffee House, a staple in the heart of Langhorne Borough, had complained for years about the quality of the coffee and she could not find brews they liked.

“I figured we’re a coffee house and we have to have good coffee, right?”

The two business owners located a used coffee roaster and Murphy and his father traveled to Ohio to pick it up. Within a short time, the roaster was installed in their first location in Hulmeville and they were experimenting with different types of beans and roasts.

From there, Covered Bridge Roasters and Loose Leaf Tea began selling to restaurants, offices, at the Yardley Farmers Market, and to retail consumers, even delivering for free within a roughly 10 mile radius on their facility.  They also mail orders across the United States, taking orders from as far away as Oregon and California.

“The product is the freshest you can get it,” Murphy said. “Nothing is kept more than 10 days.”

Both Dornisch-Cramer and Murphy explained the numerous blends they sell and talked about how larger clients often order custom roasts that match their needs.

The National Coffee Association USA report indicated that specialty varieties are among the fastest growing in the country.

It’s not uncommon for Langhorne Coffee House to be the testing grounds for new blends, Dornisch-Cramer said.

“I can tell people who stop in that their coffee was roasted two miles away,” she said.

In the past year, Covered Bridge Roasters and Loose Leaf Tea has expanded to offer various types of loose leaf tea, a popular addition, the owners said.

Staff have traveled for special training sessions, including to New York and Vermont, to hone their skills.

As for the covered bridge logo and name, Dornisch-Cramer and Murphy were inspired by Bucks County’s well-known covered bridges.

“They’re Bucks County at its finest,” Murphy said.