{"id":4325,"date":"2025-10-20T15:47:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T19:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/?p=4325"},"modified":"2025-10-25T07:56:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T11:56:46","slug":"the-history-of-brooklyns-coffee-empire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/eternal\/the-history-of-brooklyns-coffee-empire-4325","title":{"rendered":"The History of Brooklyn&#8217;s Coffee Empire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>John Arbuthnot was the first known coffee merchant in Brooklyn, opening his large coffee complex in 1871. Here, his employees roasted and packaged coffee for sale across the United States. Although Brooklyn has a long history of importing and roasting coffee, the traditional coffee shops we see today did not appear until much later. For example, the first Grumpy&#8217;s Coffee Caf\u00e9 opened in Brooklyn in 2005. More details here: <a href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/uk\">brooklyn1.one<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a314ac3588a2\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a314ac3588a2\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/eternal\/the-history-of-brooklyns-coffee-empire-4325\/#A_brief_history\" >A brief history<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/eternal\/the-history-of-brooklyns-coffee-empire-4325\/#Coffee_in_the_United_States\" >Coffee in the United States<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/eternal\/the-history-of-brooklyns-coffee-empire-4325\/#Coffee_in_Brooklyn\" >Coffee in Brooklyn<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/eternal\/the-history-of-brooklyns-coffee-empire-4325\/#Brooklyn_coffee_shops\" >Brooklyn coffee shops<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_brief_history\"><\/span>A brief history<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"919\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-13.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-13.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-13-300x172.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-13-768x441.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-13-1536x882.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-13-696x400.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-13-1068x613.jpeg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It is widely accepted that coffee originated in Ethiopia. The story goes that a shepherd noticed his goats enjoying the berries from a particular bush. After eating the berries, the goats were full of boundless energy and were active at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rumour has it that a shepherd told a monk about these berries, which the monk then used to make a drink. This is how he managed to stay awake during prayer. This is how coffee was born, as it soon became a popular drink in the Muslim world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The drink came to Europe via North Africa and the Middle East. This happened in the Middle Ages. Its power as a stimulant led to it being both praised and banned by several cultures and religions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Venice, for example, was the first European city to enjoy coffee because it actively traded with the Muslim world in North Africa. Venetians opened the first coffee shops in the mid-seventeenth century. They were also the first to add milk and sugar to coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, in the 17th century, coffee arrived in the UK, France and many other European countries. In fact, it is estimated that there were more than 3,000 coffee shops in England alone by 1675. At that time, only the upper classes could afford to drink coffee. However, it did not remain a drink for royalty and the wealthy for long. There was too much money at stake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, we know that different varieties of coffee can grow in different climates. European explorers took the plants with them on expeditions to new lands, and by the 1700s, coffee was brought to Ceylon, India, the Caribbean, Central and South America, some parts of Africa, and everywhere else it grew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In almost all of these parts of the world, large plantations were established, tended by indigenous people, African slaves, or other hired workers. Since ancient times, coffee has always had a high price, not only in the market but also in human life. After all, it took a lot of hard work to grow, harvest, and process coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Coffee_in_the_United_States\"><\/span>Coffee in the United States<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1128\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-14.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-14.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-14-300x212.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-14-768x541.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-14-1536x1083.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-14-696x491.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-14-1068x753.jpeg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In America, coffee began to gain popularity after the Boston Tea Party, in the 1770s. Back then, many patriotic people switched to coffee, declaring a boycott of English tea to support the cause of independence, and never went back to it. Soon, coffee became America&#8217;s favorite hot drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first coffee shop in New York opened in 1696 in Lower Manhattan. It was called the King&#8217;s Arms and was located on Broadway, near the current Cedar Street. People in the know claim that this was the beginning of New York&#8217;s coffee obsession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, New York became the warehouse of green coffee in America. As soon as the <a href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn-yes.com\/uk\/eternal\/plavuchi-anglijski-tyurmy-strashni-naslidky-borotby-bruklincziv-za-nezalezhnist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">War of Independence<\/a> ended in 1783, and continuing until the nineteenth century, some of the largest coffee importers not only in the United States but also in the world were concentrated in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coffee beans mainly came from the Caribbean and Central and South America, with Brazil being the largest exporter. At the time, all the major suppliers imported coffee, including a Brooklyn-based company owned by the Lowe family. However, a problem was discovered: green coffee beans quickly began to rot. The importers realised that, in order to preserve this precious commodity, they would either have to roast the coffee themselves or send it to independent roasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The coffee bean roasting industry took over much of New York City&#8217;s real estate, with traders crowding into warehouses around the South Street Seaport. A variety of innovations were introduced to improve the efficiency of roasting, and modern equipment was developed for roasting, grinding and packaging. During this period, inventors and developers were granted hundreds of patents, and their equipment was adopted by coffee centres across the country and around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Coffee_in_Brooklyn\"><\/span>Coffee in Brooklyn<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1195\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-15.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-15.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-15-300x224.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-15-768x574.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-15-1536x1147.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-15-696x520.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-15-1068x798.jpeg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Until 1876, 75% of coffee imported into the United States arrived in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Coffee Exchange was founded on Wall Street in 1882 to trade this valuable commodity. Just 20 years later, in 1896, 86% of the country&#8217;s coffee stocks were in New York Harbour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Delivering coffee to Brooklyn was more profitable than delivering it to Manhattan. There was much more storage space and a much longer coastline for shipping, whereas Manhattan was too crowded. Consequently, ships began favouring Brooklyn as their final destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the Civil War, the Brooklyn Heights shoreline has been lined with a continuous network of stores. These were actually long warehouse buildings used to store a variety of goods, including cotton, hides, lemons, jute, tobacco, sugar and, of course, coffee. This cluster of warehouses became known as a &#8216;fortress city&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These brick warehouses were large, empty, dark rooms designed for storing goods. Goods could be delivered here easily and conveniently, and metal shutters protected them from the weather, fire, and thieves. Record quantities of coffee were shipped to Empire stores and other warehouses. Green coffee beans from all over the world were brought here. They arrived in large sacks bearing the name of the country of origin, the variety of bean, and its grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the end of the nineteenth century, most of these beans were being roasted by the Arbuckle Brothers, the largest roasting company in Brooklyn and one of the biggest and most successful in the world. The brothers, John and Charles Arbuckle, came to Brooklyn from Pittsburgh, where they started their business. John, the younger brother, became a real genius, running one of the most successful coffee companies in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>John Arbuckle, a proud resident of Clinton Hill, was an important developer of Dumbo, as well as a Brooklyn philanthropist and business leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Brooklyn_coffee_shops\"><\/span>Brooklyn coffee shops<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"809\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-16.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-16.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-16-300x152.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-16-768x388.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-16-1536x777.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-16-696x352.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/10\/image-16-1068x540.jpeg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The high demand for coffee has inevitably led to the creation of places where it can be enjoyed. The first Caf\u00e9 Grumpy opened in Brooklyn in 2005. Today, the chain has 11 locations. Caf\u00e9 Grumpy roasts all its own coffee in a special roasting chamber. The caf\u00e9 has made a name for itself thanks to its coffee, which can be prepared using the pour-over method, still something of a rarity in a country where coffee is usually brewed in thermoses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you like espresso-based drinks, then this is the place for you. Caf\u00e9 Grumpy&#8217;s Guatemalan coffee has a richer, milder flavour than you will find elsewhere, with less pronounced notes. Coffee connoisseurs recommend pairing it with a very thin slice of lemon cake with a delicate lemon glaze, claiming that the combination is incredible. It turns out that Grumpy coffee has a lot going for it, including charm and character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bkwaterfronthistory.org\/story\/where-coffee-was-king\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.bkwaterfronthistory.org\/story\/where-coffee-was-king\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brownstoner.com\/history\/brooklyn-history-dumbo-empire-stores-john-arbuckle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.brownstoner.com\/history\/brooklyn-history-dumbo-empire-stores-john-arbuckle\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brian-coffee-spot.com\/2022\/09\/30\/cafe-grumpy-greenpoint\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.brian-coffee-spot.com\/2022\/09\/30\/cafe-grumpy-greenpoint\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Arbuthnot was the first known coffee merchant in Brooklyn, opening his large coffee complex in 1871. Here, his employees roasted and packaged coffee for sale across the United States. Although Brooklyn has a long history of importing and roasting coffee, the traditional coffee shops we see today did not appear until much later. For [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":326,"featured_media":4338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1164],"tags":[2933,2929,2925,2927,2931,2923,2926,2928,2937,2924,2930,2936,2934,2935,2932],"moimportance":[78,81],"motype":[1158],"moformat":[83],"class_list":{"0":"post-4325","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-bitter-coffee","9":"tag-black-coffee","10":"tag-brooklyn-coffee","11":"tag-brooklyn-coffee-shop","12":"tag-brooklyn-coffeehouse","13":"tag-coffee","14":"tag-coffee-export","15":"tag-coffee-history","16":"tag-coffee-roasting","17":"tag-coffee-shop","18":"tag-colombian-coffee","19":"tag-espresso","20":"tag-favorite-coffee","21":"tag-green-coffee","22":"tag-sweet-coffee","23":"moimportance-golovna-novina","24":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatori","25":"motype-eternal","26":"moformat-vlasna"},"modified_by":"Borys Liakhu","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/326"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4325"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4515,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4325\/revisions\/4515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4325"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=4325"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=4325"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=4325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}