Transforming the world in conversations over coffee.

Building on purpose.

International roaster Cafe Vittoria, which white-labels for major retailers, asked us to launch their first direct-to-consumer effort, Sakrid Coffee Roasters, a premium brand.

We started with a dual purpose: “Putting a smile on your face” captured the brand’s hospitality and epicurean qualities, while “transforming the world in conversations over coffee” spoke to their efforts to not only generate lively talk over a cup of Joe, but also build living wage economies and regenerative agricultural practices. 

Sakrid’s customer promise — “transcendent coffee experiences” — points towards a broader lifestyle brand, but for now, their value prop focuses on delivering “the finest beans for those who like their coffee with a touch of magic.”

The Relativity Blend.

For most of his two decades in Princeton, Albert Einstein lived just a half mile from the future home of Sakrid Coffee Roasters. So, naturally, it only seemed right that we name our espresso blend in Uncle Albert’s honor.

Here’s why: Great blends are a combination of science and sensibility, depending in equal measure on roasting expertise and simple good taste. There’s a bit of sorcery in making a good blend — it’s two parts Rwandan bourbon, one part Peruvian typica, and so on. To get it right, we believe there’s only one proper way to roast — by getting your genius on.

Lake Kivu and the Mazuku.

Known as “the land of a thousand hills,” Rwanda’s high altitude, abundant rainfall, and lush landscape provide ideal conditions for coffee cultivation. Smallholder coffee farmers here also grow vegetables, fruits, nuts and more, producing fresh, vibrant flavors that find their way into always memorable beans.

There’s also high drama in the mountain setting: Lake Kivu, the Great Lake from which our Kanyege and Nyamyumba varietals originate, feels like an African Shangri-la — but with a CO2 concentration that explodes every millennia. (Quick! Google “limnic eruption.”)

Xocalatl: Coffee Meets Chocolate.

The Mexican state of Chiapas, at the northern edge of the former Mayan empire, produces some of the most flavorful beans in the world, including Xocolātl, our tribute bean to the Mayan discovery of chocolate. 

The Mayans consumed cocoa beans every day in a popular drink also used for rituals and healing practices. Called Xocolātl, their early version of hot chocolate came to be thought of as the nectar of the gods — and it was even served with a frothy foam. Powered by an exotic combination of cacao-based flavors and aromas, our version of Xocolātl is a hat-tip to those origins, as well as to a like-minded bean that’s always been a good companion to a great coffee. 

On the Alchemy of Coffee.

Sakrid embraces the idea of coffee as an elixir — aka, a magical or medicinal potion capable of prolonging life. If magic and medicine seem unlikely partners, consider that the original elixir of life was a mythical substance sought by alchemists to turn base metals into gold. In pursuit of it, in fact, apothecaries and alchemists made important discoveries that would lead the way to modern medicine.

Since you never know what you might stumble across when combining transcendent coffee beans, we decided to name our house blend, made intentionally for drip brewing, in honor of the alchemists who first sought to combine magic and medicine. You won’t think of coffee the same way again.