Zanetta Kok ’15, a psychology major, has always been a coffee connoisseur—from crafting espressos in her Messiah College dorm room to roasting coffee beans in a popcorn popper. After graduation, she and her husband, Kenny ’15, an electrical engineering major, started a business: Kitty Town Coffee, a specialty coffee roasting company in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Their cats—Sydney and Albert—inspired the company name. After Sydney died in 2016, Kok decided to name each roast after feline friends she knows and loves. In addition to Albert Blend and Original Sydney, customers can choose from Robust Roy, Delilah’s Decaf, Fezzik and Rafiki—each blend packaged with a picture of its namesake.
What makes Kitty Town Coffee different?
The company sources its beans through direct trade, receiving the coffee from farmers in countries such as Brazil and Costa Rica. Using this method, farmers get paid directly instead of through a co-op that absorbs some of the profit.
The roasting is also unique. Through its roasting facility—in a former Bethlehem Steel building—the couple roasts the coffee a little lighter, ensuring that the beans’ natural flavors come through.
“Coffee comes from a fruit, and, depending on how it was grown, you’ll be able to taste different notes from the bean,” explained Kok. “If it was grown in a mountainous rain forest, it will be sweeter and richer than coffee grown in the sun at sea level. If you roast coffee too dark, the natural flavors will be overpowered by the roast.”
The beans arrive green, unroasted and in sacks weighing 100-200 pounds. Once the coffee is placed in one of the two roasters, the magic happens. One drum roaster can roast 25 pounds of coffee beans every 15 minutes. The other roasts 40 pounds in the same amount of time. It’s a much faster process than the 1970s popcorn poppers the couple used when they first started the business.
“In the popcorn poppers, we could only do up to 4 ounces every five minutes,” she explained.
Kok says she hopes to see Kitty Town Coffee expand and partner with cafes, local grocery stores and even a college campus or two. “I would love to eventually see Kitty Town Coffee reach Messiah College,” she said, “maybe even served in Lottie Nelson!”