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By KARA O'CONNOR

Villager Staff Writer


WILTON -- Satisfying local coffee drinkers is what Sun Coffee Roasters is all about, says Charlie Ciaccio, a Wilton resident who is a partner and vice president of sales at the new company.

Sun Coffee Roasters is a locally grown, organic, fair-trade coffee that first launched on April 1, 2009, he said. It currently provides socially conscious, earth-friendly coffee to stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.

"We wanted to get in the organic movement," said Ciaccio. "Our company is about producing something that people like and that local people want."

In December, Sun Coffee Roasters started to sell its product in Stop and Shop Supermarkets all around the Northeast, including the Wilton location. Even though the Plainville-based company is only in its first year, Ciaccio thinks the product will be a hit.

"This is premium coffee, it tastes great," he said. "I mean you have to like the product you sell, and I do -- I love it. So, I'm sure other people will too."

Sun Coffee Roasters, which also has some of its product on the shelves inside 55 Big Y grocery stores, sells around 17 different blends, from decaf to extra bold and everything in between, said Ciaccio. The company has a Diedrich 280 solid drum roaster, with precision electronics and patented carbon steel fins, and it is the only one of its kind in the United States, he said.

"This is a pretty sophisticated roaster," said Ciaccio. "A lot of work goes into making our coffee, coming up with the blends and distributing and marketing the product. I think we have something that coffee drinkers around the area will want to buy."

Sun Coffee Roasters is also looking to sell its products at colleges in the area, he said. Another avenue the company will be pursuing is fundraising with charitable organizations. Ciaccio said Sun Coffee has already aligned itself with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Research organization and plans to talk with more organizations in the near future.

"Charitable organizations are having a tough time raising funds in this economy," said Ciaccio. "Raising money through the sale of coffee is an easier sale than many of the other products that fundraisers offer. Our company would like to help as much as we can."

To learn more about Sun Coffee Roasters, visit www.suncoffeeroasters.com or call 860-517-8161.

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