Pierre Capy


Twenty years ago, a young Pierre Capy worked in the field of interior landsape, installing and maintaining Ficus trees in malls and other indoor spaces. One day, he walked up to a coffee shop in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA and ordered a regular coffee expecting nothing more than his daily pick-me-up. This, however, wasn't just any old cup of joe. Blown away by the complexity and depth of the flavors, the subtle sweetness and vibrant acidity he never knew could be hidden in a cup of coffee, Pierre knew he had to find out how a coffee like this could be made. At this moment, the course of his life changed forever!

Within two weeks he quit his job and began working at Coffee Connection under specialty coffee guru George Howell. He spent two years studying and working to learn the art and science of coffee. Two years later in 1991, Pierre got an early jump on the rapid proliferation of coffee shops when his mother convinced him to return to Vermont and open up a shop in his hometown of Brattleboro.

And thus, Mocha Joe's is born, and Brattleboro becomes one of the first towns to benefit from the relatively new movement in specialty coffee. The Mocha Joe's Cafe - the name a tip of the hat to the late Joe the cobbler whose shoe repair shop had occupied the space for years prior to the cafe - served the finest single origin coffees available from The Coffee Connection. When The Coffee Connection was sold to Starbucks in 1994, Pierre's plan to begin roasting his own coffee sped up and The Mocha Joe's Roasting Company was begun. Originally, the roasting company was designed to provide fresh beans of the highest quality strictly for the café, but the premium class and variety of beans attracted more and more clients allowing Mocha Joe’s coffee to be shipped throughout the United States. Today Mocha Joe’s coffee is distributed throughout the United States and has even traveled as far as The Pacific Islands, Europe, and the Middle East.

In the 17 years since opening the Cafe, Pierre has continued in his dedication to educate himself about coffee. He has travelled to coffee producing regions many times and is a veritable expert on coffee production, processing and packaging. He has earned the title of Specialty Coffee Association of America Certified Brewmaster and has served on the international jury of the prestigious Cup of Excellence Program. He participated in the first ever Ethiopian conference and the El Salvador movement toward building transparency and direct trade relationships between farmers and roasters. He will be travelling to El Salvador in February of 2009 to continue working with farmers to improve coffee quality and relationships in the industry.

Email: Pierre@mochajoes.com
Phone: 802-257-5637


[Back]