Niagara Coffee Co. brings unique approach to product

Will hold grand-opening celebration Aug. 16 in Lewiston

By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

It’s not hard to find a good cup of coffee in Lewiston – but that didn’t deter Terrilyn Scozzafava or Ian and Victoria Billings from opening a new café on Center Street.

Not one bit.

“No guts, no glory, in my opinion,” said Scozzafava, owner of Niagara Coffee Co.

When surveying the local coffee market, she asked, “Are they freshly roasting it? Are they freshly grinding it and put it into your drink? Are they handcrafting every drink when you want it? (Café manager and barista Victoria will) make your drink with a decaf if you want it. She'll do anything you want.”

So, whether there’s 2 or 200 other places customers can find coffee, “I feel my product speaks for itself, and it's a superior product, and I stand by it. That's why I'm here,” Scozzafava said.

Formerly a participant at the Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market, Niagara Coffee Co. opened a brick-and-mortar at 402 Center St., Suite 2 – inside the Gallo Coal Fire Kitchen courtyard. The business debuted in July, but its origin story goes back several years.

“About 2020 – pandemic time – I started talking with my son (master roaster Ian) about possibilities for things to do, looking for a retirement job for myself; and we both loved to cook and we loved coffee,” Scozzafava said. “We started playing around with just roasting coffee in a Dutch oven on my stove, and we decided we liked it. We said, ‘You know, why don't we go to coffee roasting school; learn the science; learn really about it’ – rather than just winging it like I think a lot of folks are doing?

“We flew out to Minnesota. We met with some people at Mill City Roasts. We took roasting classes. We looked at the different machines that they had for sale, and we decided which machine would be best for us to start a roasting business. We wanted to start a roasting business – just a small little roast we'll bring to other cafés that will feature our beans.

“By 2023, everything is set up. The roastery is now set up. We spent a full year in development on our signature blend, medium, which is our No. 1 selling product. … It kind of hits right in the middle – it's not light; it’s not dark. We spent a full year on that, just over and over until we felt we really nailed the roast profile, which is key. When you're roasting coffee, it's all about drum rotation, the airflow, the temperature, the speed, how much time.”

Niagara Coffee Co. intends to bring better coffee to Lewiston.

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“We did (the Lewiston Artisan) Farmers Market last summer, and that really helped a lot,” Scozzafava noted. Niagara Coffee Co. also partnered with Niagara University and Niagara Falls High School for events.

The family inquired about the unit at Gallo. They met with owner Michael Hibbard and knew immediately it was the right fit.

“He gave us a nice opportunity, Mr. Hibbard, to have a short-term trial, through September, see how it goes, and at that time we'll decide what's happening,” Scozzafava said.

Niagara Coffee Co.’s signature product is low in acidity, Scozzafava noted, making it easier on the stomach.

“We spent a full year in the way we blend our signature blend,” she said. “We have a light, medium and a dark. We're blending through different regions, and we have a certain way of doing that, and a certain way of roasting that brings out the profile of my medium. And what you're going to taste in this medium profile is brown sugar, cinnamon, chocolate and amaretto flavors, really lightly. We don’t add any additives or anything. We just roast to bring out the flavors in the coffee.

“We bring those three regions together (El Salvador, Nicaragua and Colombia).”

The menu features local products and Lewiston-themed names.

“I have those cinnamon buns I brought in fresh this morning from Lord's Lavender Farm in Ransomville. She bakes those fresh for me. We're featuring Begotten Farms from Lewiston's honey in our drinks. I have Gaeta Farms maple syrup from Lockport we feature in our drinks. Hoover's Dairy in all our drinks. I'm actually going to start putting their milk in my case, and people can come in and get a jug of milk. We love their products. It's fresh from the farm,” Scozzafava said.

Victoria is the master coffee creator, thoughtfully and artfully mixing ingredients with fresh, ground coffee, or a hot chocolate mix she makes herself.

“I worked at chain coffee shops for a long, long time,” she said. “My first job, at 17, was at Dunkin' Donuts, and then I worked there for probably like four or five years. I worked at pretty much every location that's been in the area in the last 10 years, even the ones that are closed now.” She worked at Tim Hortons, too.

“I really like making stuff. When it comes to girls' night, I'm always the one that's like, ‘Let's make fun cocktails; let's do mythology stuff.’ It is definitely partial experience, and then partial I just like that. I just like to do it. I enjoy it,” Victoria said. “And then my sister (Kaitlynn Davidson), she works at Craft in Pendleton, and she is their head barista over there, and has been for the last two years. So, anytime I have a question or I'm not sure about something, I'm like, ‘Hey, quick question! What do you guys do? How did it go? What was the reception?’ It's nice to have that sounding board, too, to bounce it off of, because they kind of have a more handcrafted drink-type thing, like this.”

Terrilyn Scozzafava with an iced coffee at Niagara Coffee Co. in Lewiston.

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Niagara Coffee Co. is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

“We're excited to be here,” Scozzafava said. “We're just happy to bring a good product to the community. We love our product, and we're just happy to share it with everybody.”

A grand-opening celebration is set for 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16. It will feature live music by Dave Loss, drink specials and giveaways.