By Alexis McCarney ’25, staff writer
Cleona Coffee Roasters (CCR), a local coffee business, hosted LVC’s Coffee Club for a tour of how coffee is made.
Owner and coffee roaster, Matt Zechman began roasting coffee out of his house but has expanded his business to the 911 Rapid Response Center on the outskirts of Annville. Zechman has a coffee shop there as well and distributes his coffee to 28 primarily local businesses, including Desserts, etc. and The Whirling Dervish Bakery.
“It started as an interest in brewing coffee that led to roasting just for fun,” Zechman said. “I started on a frying pan, then used a hot air popcorn popper, and after burning that up from two batches, I upgraded to a small hot air coffee roaster. After realizing I liked the roasting side of things more, I made the jump to buy a propane-fed drum roaster and the business began from there.”
On the tour, the club saw the process by which coffee beans are roasted, ground and packaged and the precise measurements involved.
“Matt is extremely enthusiastic about the science behind coffee and loves sharing his passion with others,” Jessica O’Neil, coffee club social media manager and employee at Cleona Coffee Roasters, said. “He’s incredibly knowledgeable and personable behind the counter and in the roastery! He takes pride in serving the most authentic, highest quality and best tasting coffee. I’d recommend Cleona Coffee Roasters to anyone looking for a genuine cup of joe.”
Zechman and the baristas make the syrup by hand and currently, they have a special chocolate covered strawberry flavored syrup. The vanilla, made from actual vanilla beans, is a customer favorite. Quality is highly valued at CCR.
To further expand his business, Zechman is in the process of developing a coffee roasting trailer that he plans to take to events where he can demonstrate how coffee is roasted and made, as well as sell it. As far as he knows, this trailer will be the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.
“My favorite part is formulating coffees and roast techniques to build the desired flavor profile,” Zechman said. “Being able to use what I know to bring a customer’s desired blend to life is something I’m prideful in knowing how to do.”
Coffee Club was able to choose what kinds of beans they wanted, then Zechman roasted, ground and packaged them with special edition coffee labels for the club. Cleona Coffee Roasters values an authentic cup of coffee and the processes that it takes to get one.