Photo by Holly Allen
Tosha Ross, wholesale specialist, Dany Guzman, head barista, and Adam Ross, head roaster, head up the team at Mighty Beast Coffee Roasters inside Boone and Bounty, Meriden.
The decision to close the F.W. Huston Pharmacy at Meriden left an uncertain future for adjacent business Pharm House Coffee. Turning the situation to an advantage, the folks at Mammoth, who own the coffee shop, found themselves determined to try something different — culminating in the creation of a new kind of coffee experience for the community.
This month, Pharm House Coffee joined a Topeka-based roaster, Caffiend’s Adam Ross, in an entirely new venture, Mighty Beast Coffee Roasters. The coffee shop and roastery is now open inside of another Mammoth entity, Boone and Bounty, a retail store and eatery located at 401 S. Palmberg, Meriden.
While customers can expect the same great service, Pharm House frequenters will have some things to get used to. Head barista Dany Guzman will continue to serve as the face of the coffee shop, and has been working hard to fit the Pharm House vibe into the south side of Boone and Bounty, which has been renovated to create a designated space for Mighty Beast customers. A walk-up window will serve as a counter for customers to order espresso and coffee drinks made from beans freshly roasted in the store. Those interested can even watch Ross and his team roasting the coffee beans through a large glass window while they wait. Tables, chairs, and WiFi are available for those who want to hang about or socialize. The new decor is both modern, rustic, and comfortable.
One major hurdle will be the new location — commuters used to stopping for their coffee on the highway will find themselves having to drive farther into Meriden for their daily caffeine fix. And another — there is no drive-thru at Boone and Bounty.
“It will be a change, but what we are trying to do here is to create more of an experience for the people,” said Guzman. “We are really hoping our customers will take the time to give themselves a little something to look forward to each day.”
Pharm House customers are used to PT’s Coffee beans, which the company has utilized for the 4½ years the business operated on the highway. Now, Mighty Beast customers will have the opportunity for a more exclusive experience with beans roasted by Ross.
In 2007, Ross became a coffee roaster at a nationally-known coffee roasting company. By 2009, he and his team were named Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine. In 2015, he began Caffiend, a specialty wholesale coffee roasting business based in Topeka.
“The farmer nurtures the bean from seed. The roaster liberates the flavor from the seed. The barista is the final person to extract all that joy and heart work,” said Ross.
Ross is excited at the opportunity to focus on just the roasting aspect of the business — his passion and his art. His wife, Tosha, will serve as wholesale specialist for the company.
“We’re just so happy to be here to fuel this herd and this amazing community,” said Tosha. “It’s filled with contagious, positive energy. We’re overwhelmed with the amount of support we are receiving.”
Mighty Beast’s signature drink will be an affagato, ice cream drowned in espresso. The new coffee shop’s customers will benefit from having access to Boone and Bounty’s eatery, and the ice cream available from Mammoth’s Scoop Troop.
While the coffee menu at Mighty Beast is more abbreviated than its previous iteration, Guzman advises Pharm House favorites, such as the popular Pharm Fuel, will still be available upon request.
Might Beast Coffee Roasters inside Boone and Bounty has expanded their hours to accommodate customers’ requests. They will now be open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturdays. The shop has an online portal, available at mightybeast.coffee in which drinks can be ordered ahead for pickup.
This has been a bittersweet change, but I think we are all really excited,” Guzman stated. “People are interested in the entire coffee roasting experience, and here at Mighty Beast, they’ll get to witness the whole progression.
“I think the experience will be worth their time.”