Beacon Coffee Co. and Mercantile Opens Its Doors Today

“There are only five of these machines in the US, and I own four of them,” says Oscar Dotter, the owner and creative director of Beacon Coffee Co. and Mercantile, and its sister company, Cornwall Coffee Co. and Mercantile. He is referring to the vintage Victoria Arduino espresso machines that occupy his two shops, restored and imported directly from Naples.

“Each machine takes about four to six weeks of training to use,” Dotter explains. “They are very labor intensive.” Sometimes known as the Italian jawbreakers because of their immense power, the 93- and 107-year-old machines found in the new Beacon location represent a fading style of espresso making, one which relies upon the hand-levered, steam piston-operated systems of a century ago. “We want to give someone the bodily feeling like they were in Italy in the 1930s and ’40s,” says Dotter. “We are going back to the science and experience of brewing coffee.”

Dotter’s desire to open a coffee shop with this mission was sparked when living and working at his businesses in New York City, which utilized more mainstream brewing techniques. “Coffee for me became more about volume and speed, and for a while I lost touch with my own vision,” explains Dotter. “I wanted to dial everything back to the way I grew up around the business in Oregon.”

Dotter first found interest in the art of brewing while working at two businesses called The Beanery and The Governor’s Cup, which utilized the same style of hand-levered machines he now uses. He held fast to these early life experiences when opening his business in Cornwall in 2019. “I wanted to go back in time, and create a new concept that wasn’t so automatic,” says Dotter. “The way we make our coffee, and roast our beans, is all dialed into this experience.”

Each menu item is made with great attention to detail. The roasting, grinding, and brewing process of espresso-based drinks center around the Victoria Arduino machines. The cold brew is done in a Japanese slow-drip style which takes five days to make. The first two days are spent making the concentrate while the other three are used to aerate the concentrate. Any drinks made with chocolate feature specific flavors from chocolates imported from France, Belgium, and Switzerland, which are then hand ground and turned into cocoa. Flavored drinks are made using elixirs instead of syrups, that are either imported or made by Cornwall/Beacon Coffee Co.

All the beans are imported from fair trade and organic farms through the company Coffee Shrub, which works directly with farmers and pays close attention to environmentally sound farming practices. The beans come from a range of countries including Ethiopia, the Congo, Peru, Honduras, and Columbia.

The care and attention given to the menu is echoed in the detailed vintage aesthetic of the new space in Beacon. From the open exhibition of the Japanese slow-drip and Victoria Arduino machines to the old fashion split-flap display, leather furniture, and vintage cash register, the space has a feel of age-old, rustic luxury.

The walls are covered with a curated assortment of items for sale, including books, mugs, toys, coffee gear, and candles, all from various businesses chosen by Dotter for their quality and style. One wall is devoted entirely to bags, clocks, bikes, and watches made by Detroit-based Shinola. In addition to their extensive coffee brewing training, employees are taught to alter and fix items from Shinola. “It’s all about the customer who wants to buy a Shinola watch that doesn’t fit, and a barista comes out from behind the counter and fixes it for them,” describes Dotter. “It’s got to be done right, or I don’t want to do it.”

It is no coincidence that the new space feels so well-suited to Dotter’s vision. Originally, when looking to expand his business, Dotter had zeroed in on the town of Catskill or Woodstock. But during a visit to the School of Rock in Beacon to inquire about music lessons for his kids, he noticed a vacancy next door. “It was immediate, my brain just started visualizing this whole Coffee Co. and Mercantile in that space,” describes Dotter. “It was the perfect place for it, it just clicked.”

Dotter’s connection to Beacon has strengthened throughout the process of building his business, informing his decision to include the name of the town in the title of the new location, rather than branding it as an extension of Cornwall Coffee Co. and Mercantile. He wanted to offer an affiliation between the business and the community, who have welcomed Beacon Coffee Co. and Mercantile with open arms. “We want to support the community, to be involved in the community by giving back,” says Dotter, “whether it be different fundraisers, or supporting certain causes.”