About Us
Coffee has been a passion of mine since youth. When visiting my grandparent’s farm, the first thing I would do is pull out the coffee grinder and ask for coffee. Grinding coffee was a long process, turning the handle for what seemed to be hours for the prize in the drawer. The fragrance of fresh ground coffee has no match to anything else. I was intrigued back then and I am even more today.
Since then, my career path has always been focused on sensory pursuits. I spent most of my life in the hospitality business. As chef, manager, executive, and owner, my preference was to stay intimately involved in everything that got me closest to the creative and production aspects of the food and beverage business. All along I followed the coffee industry and witnessed the change from coffee as a beverage to coffee as an experience.
As I began to roast coffee the two worlds met. Years in the hospitality business taught me to produce and evaluate food and beverage items for optimum flavor, textures, aromatics, and presentation. A sauce, such as hollandaise must be made to perfection to compliment eggs benedict. Correspondingly, an espresso blend must be sourced, roasted and combined with the same care to complement the perfect latte.
In my past as a chef, I learned that sourcing the best ingredients was essential to great quality. As a roaster, sourcing the second largest commodity on the market is a challenge. Research and sampling is key to buying amazing beans, but choices in the specialty coffee business begin with artisan quality coffee growers.
Artisan coffees are created when the grower is willing to take the extra steps to ensure quality results, and the roaster is willing to pay the premium price necessary to support quality.
Artisan coffee roasting is a marriage of science and sensibility. The science involves controlling the roasting medium via the roasters knowledge of the roasting machine, the raw product (green beans) and the roaster’s visual and tasting sensibility.
At MonkeyPod we roast to order weekly, bringing out the best flavors possible from fresh artisan beans. The passion that began at my grandparent’s farm and took root in the culinary world, continues here.
Thank you for choosing MonkeyPod. We truly appreciate your patronage.
George Skandalaris
Owner & Roaster
MonkeyPod Coffee Roasters
Since then, my career path has always been focused on sensory pursuits. I spent most of my life in the hospitality business. As chef, manager, executive, and owner, my preference was to stay intimately involved in everything that got me closest to the creative and production aspects of the food and beverage business. All along I followed the coffee industry and witnessed the change from coffee as a beverage to coffee as an experience.
As I began to roast coffee the two worlds met. Years in the hospitality business taught me to produce and evaluate food and beverage items for optimum flavor, textures, aromatics, and presentation. A sauce, such as hollandaise must be made to perfection to compliment eggs benedict. Correspondingly, an espresso blend must be sourced, roasted and combined with the same care to complement the perfect latte.
In my past as a chef, I learned that sourcing the best ingredients was essential to great quality. As a roaster, sourcing the second largest commodity on the market is a challenge. Research and sampling is key to buying amazing beans, but choices in the specialty coffee business begin with artisan quality coffee growers.
Artisan coffees are created when the grower is willing to take the extra steps to ensure quality results, and the roaster is willing to pay the premium price necessary to support quality.
Artisan coffee roasting is a marriage of science and sensibility. The science involves controlling the roasting medium via the roasters knowledge of the roasting machine, the raw product (green beans) and the roaster’s visual and tasting sensibility.
At MonkeyPod we roast to order weekly, bringing out the best flavors possible from fresh artisan beans. The passion that began at my grandparent’s farm and took root in the culinary world, continues here.
Thank you for choosing MonkeyPod. We truly appreciate your patronage.
George Skandalaris
Owner & Roaster
MonkeyPod Coffee Roasters