story and photos by Cindy Ruggieri
Whenever I am on a road trip passing through the Cortland or Homer area, I always treat myself to a stop at a CoffeeMania drive-thru. It’s convenient, quick and some of the best coffee I’ve ever had.
In 1999, owners Craig and Michelle Brooks moved from Seattle back to the Cortland area to be near family and were looking to start a coffee shop. With Michelle’s background in the food industry, it seemed like the right fit, and they began their search for a good location. The old abandoned gas station on Port Watson Street was in desperate need of repair, but it was the right location, available and situated perfectly for the two-lane design featured in the Seattle coffee shops that they wanted to replicate. From the humble beginnings of this first coffee drive-thru, CoffeeMania has grown into multiple locations and offerings with a reputation of some of the best coffee in Central NY.
“I give credit to my daughter,” Craig smiled as he explained the origins of the name CoffeeMania. “She was 7 at the time, and as we were throwing out ideas for a name she spoke up and said ‘CoffeeMania!’ And that’s the name that sounded just right.”
With the success of their first location, the Brooks followed with another location in 2002 on Route 222, building to once again accommodate the two-window design. The next step was to transition to roasting their own coffee in Cortland, and they started the search once again for the right building. They bought an old freight station, refit it to their needs, bought the coffee roaster and invested in training for the process of roasting coffee.
Their first coffee was for SUNY Cortland, fittingly named Cortland Blend. From there came other blends, and then the start of their wholesale operation. Their coffee can now be found in numerous locations across Central NY in coffee shops, restaurants and in retail for consumers.
The Brooks are always trying new blends, tasting and adjusting until they have the new flavor they are looking for. Every year, employees attend the trade show CoffeeFest to learn about the newest roasting techniques and the latest trends for specialty coffees. “We want our employees to keep up with their education and training so we can continue to develop new flavors and offerings,” Craig said. He speaks highly of their employees. “Kindness matters – it’s a core value of our company. And we have great employees who show this every day.”
Coffee beans come mostly from Central and South America. The only U.S. location where Craig and Michelle can get coffee beans is Hawaii. Different beans make different flavors, so a variety of sources is key to their roasting process. Huge burlap bags of beans sit ready to roast. Craig and his roastmaster Kory Nauseef gave a demonstration of their roasting process. It’s pretty cool to watch the roaster swirling with roasted beans and the smell is heavenly!
The packaging on their retail coffee is a visual adventure in artwork and storytelling, just another way Craig and Michelle have developed an attention to detail. “We would come up with the name of the coffee first and then work with our artist Vyctoria Hart to come up with the artwork that fits our vision.” Every bag of coffee also has a personal or regional story on the back of the package. It’s unique, creative and definitely not your average coffee packaging.
Their drive-thru coffee list is extensive, along with other beverage offerings. Every four weeks there is a specially developed flavor of the month. Food items are available along with the Brooks’ coffee. In 2010 they opened their own bakery facility to supply their coffee drive-thrus. “We wanted our food items to be baked fresh daily,” said Craig. Scones, muffins and other sweet treats, all individually wrapped, are available, perfect companions to coffee. I try something new every time I stop there and am never disappointed.
I’m normally a black coffee drinker, but on a recent visit I decided to go a little wild and tried their flavor of the month, a chocolate cherry iced coffee. And I’m sold – it was so good! An accompanying cranberry orange scone satisfied my sweet tooth for the day.
The Brooks have come a long way to become a premier coffee roaster, owners of multiple drive-thru locations, a wholesale operation, all the while gaining a reputation for some of the best coffee around. Next time you are in the Cortland/Homer area, pull up to their drive-thru window and give it a try!
