Three Coffee Shops to Visit in Rhode Island

North

Courtesy of Sophie Short/New Harvest Coffee Roasters.

New Harvest Coffee Roasters
Founders and couple Rik Kleinfeldt and Paula Anderson met in grad school at Brown University in the early ’90s; she was a librarian and he got into coffee while working as a manager at the Coffee Exchange on Wickenden Street. After carrying on for about a decade, they felt the impulse to start their own venture, New Harvest. In 2000, the pair wanted to focus on selling coffee wholesale and supplying for independent cafes and bakeries.

Fast forward to now, they’ve relocated to the Valley neighborhood in Providence in the spacious Farm Fresh Rhode Island Food Hub, which is stocked with new state-of-the-art roasting equipment.

Patrons can purchase a variety of coffee bags, or chill in the onsite cafe and warm up with a drink or two.

For more than fifteen years, New Harvest has formed relationships with several coffee farms in Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Colombia with the Source Direct program. Built by Kleinfeldt and Anderson in 2007, the program centralizes on visiting coffee farms in South and Central America yearly. Their carefully sourced beans allow the pair to ensure the best product, as well as give back to the coffee community by paying at least 50 percent above or even triple the amount of the Fair Trade minimum (currently set at $1.40 a pound) and to local nonprofits by donating and hosting fundraisers.

The other side of New Harvest Coffee Roasters — Coffee and Spirits — opened in 2013 at the Arcade with the idea of being the ultimate beverage destination. Now at the Valley cafe, visitors can grab coffee and tea along with craft cocktails and hard-to-find whiskeys all under the same roof.
“Many bars do a lot with food; we bring in pastries to sell but our thing is really beverages,” says Kleinfeldt.

A personal favorite for many customers is the bourbon latte, otherwise known as the “Stay at Home Dad” cocktail, and has been the coffee and whiskey bar’s mainstay for years. In terms of cold coffee drinks, the New Harvest team recommends the Snapchill iced coffee, which is available as a cocktail, in a can and on tap all year long. It’s brewed hot then immediately chilled, accentuating the best qualities of their coffee. “It’s much different from cold brew, which is known for being heavy-bodied, kind of smoky and chocolaty, but snap chill is lighter and more refreshing,” Kleinfeldt says. “It’s just a different drink and it really highlights coffee from small farms like we’ve always specialized in.”

New Harvest also offers an extensive education program for baristas and coffee enthusiasts alike called the Coffee Lab. Classes such as Barista Basics, Cold Coffee and Espresso at Home give guests a better understanding of the famed pick-me-up drink in terms of preparation, technique and more.

Relocating the business to the Valley building was a good move, Kleinfeldt and Anderson agree. “We have some really great neighbors here; Industrious Spirit Co. is right across the street from us, we also have Revival Brewing next door to us, WaterFire Art Center is across the river,” says Kleinfeldt. “There’s a lot of cool things happening in this neighborhood and we’re just excited to be here.”

Hours for the shop are Tuesday through Thursday 8 a.m.–10 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–11 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–11 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; 10 Sims Ave., Providence, 438-1999, newharvestcoffee.com