Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters, based in Monmouth County, New Jersey, has recently diversified from its all – organic roastery by opening its very first standalone retail café.
The new 900 – square – foot coffee shop in Gladstone emulates the aesthetic of the original Atlantic Highlands roastery café. It is adorned in earthy tones and showcases predominantly reclaimed wood surfaces and furniture. Custom mugs in evergreen and gray, crafted in New Jersey by Ryush Ceramics, perfectly complement the coffee company’s eco – friendly, forest – inspired ambiance.
At the new café bar, a Faema Teorema espresso machine, paired with Mahlkönig grinders, is custom – powder – coated in a deep British racing green. This color choice pays homage to the suburban borough’s leafy, tree – lined streets and green areas, as well as the local community’s love for classic cars.
Steven Almonte, the owner of Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters (FMRC) and a competitive cyclist, shared with Daily Coffee News, “When I began cycling, one of my initial long – distance routes led me through Peapack and Gladstone. It’s a serene town – so clean, green, and exuding understated elegance. The streets are lined with vintage exotic cars, and there are beautiful horses, hills, and valleys. I relished the roads and the tranquility during my rides. When the time came to open our second coffee shop, this was my top pick.”
Roasting operations still occur at the 950 – square – foot Atlantic Highlands location, producing over two dozen organic single – origin and blended coffee offerings. That facility houses a 30 – kilo U.S. Roaster Corp machine and a 5 – kilo Ambex machine.
Almonte remarked, “The roastery has a unique vitality and energy that’s difficult to put into words. The aroma of green and roasted coffee, the sounds of the roaster and grinders, and the scent of freshly brewed espresso – it’s a completely immersive experience.”
A world map hanging near the storage area was hand – painted by Greg Lewis. Along with his wife, Barbara DiBeneditto, Lewis co – founded Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters in 2008. Now, he can freely pursue his non – coffee passion as a professional artist and is nearly done with a mural inside the new café.
Both Lewis and DiBeneditto spent years in the 1980s and ’90s working in or around coffee through import/export companies before launching FMRC. Their focus was on coffees with certification marks like Organic, Fairtrade, and Rainforest Alliance.
Almonte, originally from the Dominican Republic, moved to the U.S. in 2003 and became a chemical engineer. He developed a love for coffee, became a regular at FMRC, and befriended the owners, who sold him the business in 2022. In April of last year, Juan Carlos, a civil engineer, took over as the head roaster.
Almonte said, “We collaborate closely on developing roast profiles. We rely on our deep – seated love for math to optimize our roast curves. We seek elegant flavor profiles, a harmonious combination where the flavor notes work in unison to bring a sense of unity and elegance to the cup.”
So far, Almonte has incorporated a few new farms into Fair Mountain’s sourcing network while maintaining the consistency of the entire original blend and profile selection during the ownership transition. With the first standalone café up and running, the emphasis has been on growth rather than radical change.
Almonte stated, “Greg and Barbara built something wonderful here. It’s our duty to carry on with the same level of passion, making appropriate additions and improvements while preserving what makes this coffee special. Our next objective is to enhance our website to better serve our nationwide customer base.”
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