Somerset Patriots, Bridgewater Local Team Up To Brew New Coffee Blend

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The Somerset Patriots, the New York Yankees Double-A affiliate, have partnered with Ambee Coffee, owned by Bridgewater native Steven Chiocchi, to create a special Jersey Diners Blend of coffee.

"I'm excited to collaborate with them," said Chiocchi to Patch.

The Jersey Diners Blend, celebrating the Patriots’ award-winning Jersey Diners alternate identity, is a limited-edition dark roast coffee originating from Columbia Honduras and Timor that features walnut, chocolate and cherries.

"The roast level is dark, so we tried to create that quintessential, like robust, full body coffee that you would expect at any diner," said Chiocchi. "We took the Ambee approach. It's a certified organic coffee. It's naturally processed. There are no chemicals or pesticides used in the production of this coffee. It's our spin on a diner blend."

The coffee will be available at Ambee Coffee locations in Somerville, Raritan, and Warren as drip coffee. Additionally, 12 oz. whole bean boxes are also available at Ambee Coffee and the Patriots Team Store at the ballpark.

The coffee blend was chosen following a blind taste test earlier this off-season at Ambee. Patriots staff members attended the taste test of the three finalists at Ambee Coffee’s Warren location to vote for the chosen blend.

"We wanted to create a new product that felt like a diner coffee, but with an Ambee kind of spin on it, meaning it's an organic and very good coffee. So we came up with three options and they wound up pretty much unanimously picking the coffee out of that lineup. We also really liked it as well," said Chiocchi.

The Patriots launched the Jersey Diners during the 2024 season and it instantly became a phenomenon. The alternate identity created to honor New Jersey’s rich history as the "Diner Capital of the World" garnered millions of impressions on social media and was featured on major media outlets such as NBC Channel 4 New York, ABC Channel 7 New York, YES Network, SNY, ESPN SportsCenter and MLB on FOX.

This excitement translated to the best retail year in the team’s 25-year history. Additionally, Jersey Diners games saw a 42 percent increase in attendance compared to all other Patriots games during the season.

The Jersey Diners were voted by fans as the "Best Alternate Identity in Minor League Baseball" at the 2024 MiLB Awards Show and awarded MiLB’s “Golden Bobblehead for Best New Merchandise Promotion or Retail Sales Strategy."

Chiocchi overall said he is excited and happy with the growth of his brand Ambee and will continue to grow with more partnerships in the future.

Most recently, Chiocchi said Ambee just partnered with Costco. All of their gift cards are now available on the shelves at Costco, "which is really cool."

For more information on Ambee and the new coffee blend visit ambee.coffee or follow them on facebook.com/ambeecoffee or instagram.com/ambeecoffee.

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