Vassilaros Test 2

THE HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY COFFEE

DEDICATED TO NEW YORK CITY

VASSILAROS & SONS

ANDREW, FACTORY WORKER

AT VASSILAROS & SONS

09

INTRODUCTION

10

Every city has something to be proud

of—a claim to fame, an iconic landmark,

a longstanding tradition or a slogan that

stirs the crowd. Something that’s important not

only to the people who live there, but something

that sets it apart from everywhere else in the

world. Something that says, “There’s no other

place like it.”

Every city has something, but when it comes to

New York City, we have it all.

For everything special about this city, there’s a

story, and NYC has millions of them.

This is just one of those stories; one that’s almost

100 years old— “The History of New York City

Coffee.”

This story still flows through many generations

and lives. And it’s still being written everyday by

New Yorkers who love their coffee.

A cup of coffee can love you back.

12

JOHN VASSILAROS

COFFEE

A NEW YORK ORIGINAL

14

The classic cup of New York coffee is best

known in the iconic blue and white paper

cup. The cup’s design pays homage to the

Greek people who ran coffee carts and diners in

the old New York City tradition.

The story of Vassilaros & Sons continues a nearly

100-year-old institution of providing high quality,

hand blended coffees to all five boroughs.

It ’s delivering what New Yorkers demand. Day

after day, coffee brings the spirit of this city to

life, so New Yorkers can build tomorrow.

16

CEMEX COFFEE

VASSILAROS & SONS

“This coffee is for people who trust their own taste,

whether they’re a working man or a millionaire.”

—John A. Vassilaros

President, Vassilaros & Sons Coffee

Relationships. Standards.

Gratitude. Integrity.

Heritage.

And A Few Men

Named John.

These are the principles that make a

company important to people. We

don’t just make one precious cup of

coffee for one type of person. We

make coffee that is time-tested, pure,

strong, delicious and loved by a whole

city. This is what makes Vassilaros &

Sons Coffee a fundamental part of

New York City for three generations.

JOHN VASSILAROS

CHECKING THE ROAST

19

1CHAPTER ONE

HERITAGE

John Vassilaros’ grandfather (also

named John Anthony) immigrated to

New York from Ikaria, a Greek island

in the Aegean Sea.

Like many immigrants hungry for

opportunity in America, Vassilaros

passed through Ellis Island next to

nothing in his pocket and speaking

little English, but was full of hope

and determination

He worked two waiter jobs—a lunch

shift on lower Wall Street and a

dinner shift in the Bronx.

Between work, Vassilaros taught

himself to read and write English at

the public library on 42nd Street.

After the birth of his son, Anthony

John, Vassilaros also took a job as a

coffee salesman to help support his

growing family.

John Vassilaros’ affable nature and

larger-than-life personality made him

well liked. People gravitated towards

him in the community.

WHERE THERE’S OPTIONS,

THERE’S OPPORTUNITY.

His integrity and honesty made him

a trustworthy salesman; and he was

immediately successful selling coffee

for a fellow Greek coffee roaster.

But there was one big problem; his

boss did not appreciate quality and

Vassilaros became frustrated.

How To Serve New Yorkers:

Go To Them

Many New York Neighborhoods in the

early 1900s were defined by culture

and background. Small business

owners like the “fish man” and the

“ice man” would bring their wares

to different neighborhoods, even

down unpaved roads. Everything

from pickles and oil lamps was

sold from the pushcarts, taking

their inspiration from the old-world

European markets.

01 : HERITAGE

2CHAPTER TWO

INTEGRITY

In 1918, John Anthony founded

Vassilaros & Sons Coffee to give

people the quality he knew he could

deliver and he knew he should deliver.

Besides, most of his customers were

friends, fellow immigrants, and he

wanted them to succeed too.

This dedication to quality and the

people of New York City shaped the

company.

His first two accounts were at the

restaurants where he used to work

as a waiter. The first two employees

were his beloved wife, Sophia, and

her sister, Frosini.

02 : INTEGRITY

26

NICK, FACTORY WORKER

AT VASSILAROS & SONS

The women hand-selected the beans,

grinding and packaging the blend

in the kitchen of the family’s Bronx

apartment. Vassilaros delivered the

40-pound bags of fresh coffee, which

he carried on his shoulders riding the

subway, to customers throughout

Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The company moved to a small

storefront on Third Avenue, and as

New York City grew, Vassilaros &

Sons Coffee grew with it.

A new roaster allowed Vassilaros to

achieve a signature blend and ensure

the quality he dreamed about.

Delivery trucks and more employees

helped keep up with New Yorkers’

insatiable appetite for a basic, black

cup of piping hot coffee without

sacrificing standards.

In 1962, the company moved to its

permanent home, a 25,000 square-

foot coffee roasting plant in Queens.

And for every working day over

the last 50 years, proud employees

worked together to craft timeless

seasonal blends for the 3,000-plus

accounts in the Tri-State Area.

3CHAPTER THREE

GRATITUDE

New York City’s part in the story

of Vassilaros & Sons cannot be

overlooked.

Every customer and account, in

every borough, made the company

what it is today. But success has

never gotten in the way of what and

who they are.

From the start, John Vassilaros would

help fellow small business owners,

lending out money and equipment,

to pass on the opportunities he was

so thankful for. Over time, John

Anthony and his son, Anthony John,

baptized over 500 children in the

Greek community.

03 : GRATITUDE

30

BURLAP SACK FULL OF COFFEE

FROM HONDURAS

An Original Comes With

Peace Of Mind

A dedication to quality and a

responsibility to serve the people of

New York does not get easier over

three generations. Not in this city

and not in the coffee business. But

it comes with a pledge that nobody

knows New Yorkers like Vassilaros &

Sons Coffee. And there is still a John

Vassilaros at the helm who hand

roasts his coffees each and every

day.

Almost 50 years after coming to

America, John and Sophia Vassilaros

would not forget their roots in

Greece. Between fundraising and

their own donations, the Vassilaros

family was able to build a 30-room

hospital on their native Island of

Ikaria that is still there to this day.

4CHAPTER FOUR

STANDARDS

Like his father and his father’s father

before him, John Vassilaros learned

every inch of the coffee business by

doing it with his own two hands.

The most honest cup of coffee tastes

the most like…Coffee.

As president of Vassilaros & Sons for

the last 40 years, John has avoided

trends and coffee drinks that distract

from the simple art of crafting the

perfect cup of coffee.

THE TASTE RITUAL - By John Vassilaros

4

1

5

2

After the best of the samples are

selected, they are blended together

to determine how well they marry

to achieve the most complex taste,

body and aroma.

Before any beans are purchased

in bulk, we grade and cup samples

that have been submitted for offer

by growers and exporters.

We constantly sample the beans out

of the roaster, checking to ensure

that it meets our roast profile and

not over-roasted, which masks the

flavor and complexity.

Only after the very best beans have

been selected from these samples

do we begin to negotiate their

price—first quality, then cost.

04 : STANDARDS

6

3

The authorized blend is brewed just

as the customer will brew it, for one

last taste test.

Once the bulk coffee is delivered

to the factory, it ’s double checked

against the original sample to

insure that what we chose is what

was delivered.

The beans are from Central &

South America, but the coffee is

from New York City.

In order to be true to the blend, John

makes a point to visit smaller coffee

farmers and growers in Central and

South America, besides the larger

farms. This is how we find the finest

coffee beans in the world for New

York City—a dedication to quality,

not mass production.

5CHAPTER FIVE

RELATIONSHIPS

John and his salesman personally

visit each account in the Tri-State

Area, many of whom John considers

close friends.

At each location, we talk coffee with

the proprietor and test the machine

to make sure it’s brewing properly.

John knows these longstanding

relationships ensure a better cup of

coffee.

COFFEE IS AN INTIMATE

RELATIONSHIP.

It’s a never-ending process.

It is hard, dedicated work. People

come to depend on a consistent taste

and body. Do it right and people

come back for more.

Quality is a promise that Vassilaros

& Sons made to itself and this city

almost 100 years ago.

It ’s helping our customers brew the

coffee better for their customers.

It ’s satisfying the hardest people

to satisfy, New Yorkers. Again and

again.

That’s how you build longstanding

relationships. That’s how Vassilaros

& Sons has made the original New

York City Coffee, the best New York

City coffee.

04 : STANDARDS

39

FRESH ROASTED BAG OF

VASSILAROS & SONS COFFEE

JOHN A. VASSILAROS & SONS INC.

29-05 120th ST., FLUSHING, NY 11354

PHONE: 718.886.4140

vassilaroscoffee.com