Meet The Owners: A&E Custom Coffee Roastery

wants to provide something uplifting to the mind and spirit that is only a sip away.

The coffee and tea shop began in Milford out of the home of Adam and Emeran Langmaid in the beginning of 2002. They called it “A&E Coffee,” using the first initials of the married couple’s names.

It started as a coffee club where the product would be hand-delivered to customers’ houses.

A year and a half later, they moved their business to Amherst Plaza after they began to deal with wholesale accounts. They moved three years later, avoiding the fire that would later destroy the shopping center, and settled in a space inside Carriage Depot.

The business is now celebrating its 10th anniversary and has a hefty collection of awards and honors for their products and service. A&E Coffee was just honored by The Hippo magazine for having the best cup of coffee and espresso.

Amherst Patch sat down with Emeran Langmaid to talk about her business.

Patch: What are some of the rewards of owning your coffee/tea business?

Emeran: It is exciting because my day is different every day. My day is filled with so many different things and I really enjoy every aspect of it. The numbers, the social side of it and the production bring so much variety in the day. There are always new adventures here. I also love the model of the specialty coffee business. I have a fantastic staff and my customer base is amazing. When you surround yourself with great people, it makes coming into work really easy.

Patch: How is your business special?

Emeran: Well, we are the only wholesale tea program in the state and offer great quality products. We source our teas to get more organic options in to offer customers. I think it is hitting a need in the community because more people are realizing the health benefits of tea and coffee. We are producing our own product and roasting right on site. Unlike the chains, we also have a manual espresso machine and are hand-making each drink for far superior quality. We have an educated, friendly staff combined with the value we give to customers and clients.

Patch: Explain how our business is environmentally-conscious

Emeran: That has always been the foundation of our business, and  we were the first certified organic roaster in New Hampshire. We always consider where we source our coffee, whether is is bird-friendly or shade grown. We also take into account the environmental impact because  we are all living on the same planet. The decisions we make impact all of us eventually. We recycle everything and make efforts to not just say we are green, but actually have that work out within the business. For us, it was a very specific moral decision.

Patch: What are some challenges in starting and running a business?

Emeran: When you start a small business, you have all of these grand expectations of wild success, but the first few years are really tough. Now that we have been in business for ten years, we deal with the same challenges as other businesses. Equipment can break at any time, like when our cash register broke on December 23rd, which is the busiest day of the year for us. Yet, our staff kept things going with calculators and paper and we pulled it off. Some things catch you by surprise and you have to wing it, and it helps to have a supportive and intelligent staff.

Patch: What is a great moment you’ve had since starting A&E Coffee?

Emeran: We have a lot of customers that come in that are floored by the quality of the coffee. One woman had a wedding and we provided the coffee for it. We made the process easy for them and the guests said it was the most amazing coffee they have ever had. They had so many compliments that the bride came in and gave us a glowing review on what we are able to do.

Patch: How has your knowledge of coffee/tea grown over the years?

Emeran: There has been a progression of my appreciation. When I first started drinking teas, it was straight black and not much into green tea or the more pungent, robust types. Over the years I have come to appreciate the nuances of some of these teas that are outside of the traditional American palate. My favorite coffee is a now the natural Ethiopian that has a fruity berry flavor. Some customers love it, others not so much because it has a unique taste profile.

Patch: What are the plans for the future?

Emeran: As a small business, you always have to look into the future and where you are headed. We have already redesigned our website to provide more information on our tea and coffee selection. We will also continue to hire quality staff members as the business grows. Another focus will be to have more special events in our cafe, such as our Mother’s Day tea event, roast demos and writing groups. This year want to get our name out there and grow into the wholesale business. I want to hit the pavement to develop relationships with wholesale accounts. We have been here 10 years and have sticking power because we are not going anywhere. 

Visit their website here.