Calling All Coffee Fanatics

Need that morning caffeine rush? There’s a new booth at the that has just what you're looking for.

Monkey Bean Coffee Company is in its first year in Nyack. Meg Acer, owner and creator, mans the table where you can sip and sample at will. With fresh roasted coffee ground just the night before, Acer offers five flavors each week. One choice is always Columbia decaf; the others rotate weekly.

"This frustrates some people when they want the same thing from the week before," Acer explained. "But it keeps things more interesting."

When the market started up in May, the coffee company didn’t get too many customers for brewed cups—mostly just bags of beans.

"[But] people are starting now to get cups," Acer noted. "Originally they didn’t seem to realize I had them, too. I have one customer that comes back every week, multiple times the same day."

"It's hard to say what sells the best with the variety constantly changing," Acer added. "El Salvador Peabody is the best selling online. Otherwise, the half-pound bags sell the most frequently."

The beans can be found on both Amazon and on eBay, with the majority sales coming from eBay, Acer said. Acer started selling on eBay before Christmas, when sales were more brisk. She began selling at the Ramsey, NJ farmers’ market, in her hometown, just last year. And Acer says the Nyack market offers something not all others do—esteem.

"Nyack is a very old, established market," Acer explained. "It's not very far from me. I wanted to do a market during the week. I put in my request in January and didn’t hear back. Then finally I found out another booth dropped out and the spot was available for me."

Acer began Monkey Bean Coffee Company about three years ago; the company is the roasting division of a 50-year-old family business, Harry J. Acer Co. Inc., which was started by her grandfather. But for Acer, roasting began as a hobby.

"Everyone said, 'you should sell it, Your coffee is so good,'" she said. "After years of saying no, I finally decided to try it."

All beans are hand-roasted over gas flame by Acer herself at her Ramsey location. Beans are sold quickly after roasting to maintain the best flavors, and the beans are ground the night before.

"Ground beans are only fresh for one week," Acer explained. "Whole beans [after being roasted] are good for three weeks."

For some of the freshest tastes around, head over to the Nyack Farmers’ Market on Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monkey Bean Coffee Company serves both hot coffee and ice coffee for those sweltering summer days.