Hearing On Coffee Roasting Facility Application This Week In Princeton

PRINCETON, NJ – The Municipality will continue hearing the application for a coffee roasting facility this week.

Sakrid Coffee, which has a coffee shop on Nassau Street, seeks to open a new outlet at 300 Witherspoon Street and is proposing to install a coffee roaster in the first-floor space adjacent to the retail takeout space.

While the coffee shop is being welcomed by neighbors, it’s the roasting facility that has caused concerns.

During the last Zoning Board meeting, over 50 residents attended, in hopes of providing comment on the proposal.

Some residents are concerned that the facility, which is located close to Community Park Elementary School, would release volatile organic compounds into the air and create an unpleasant smell. They were especially concerned about the volatile organic compound diacetyl, that’s present in the roasting process.

However, co-Owner Jonathan Haley and attorney William Hare told the Board that in response to residents’ concerns, they did more research and decided to install a new system called the VortX which would clean the air. The VortX burns no gas and produces zero methane and carbon monoxide.

Residents and the Zoning Board also heard from Richard Ludescher, professor emeritus from Rutgers University and consultant in the food science industry. Ludescher said that all plants emit diacetyl and the compound poses a risk only with long-term chronic exposure.

He noted that at the site of roasting when the diacetyl is generated, very little of that actually escapes the bean. And with Sakrid Coffee proposing a roasting time of around 2.5 hours a week, the diacetyl generated would be in barely discernable levels.

Sakrid currently uses a roasting facility in Moonachie, NJ and by being able to roast coffee in the Municipality the owners hope to eliminate trips.

The Zoning Board will be meeting virtually on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday's meeting will begin with public comment.