New Haven Independent

Java Hits New Eco-Heights

by Ben Johnson | February 13, 2009 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Downtown’s newest coffee shop had a trashcan at its opening. The receptacle won’t be there for long.

So vowed co-owner Drew Ruben (pictured) as he officially opened the doors Thursday to his latest site of Blue State Coffee, at 84 Wall St.

“Very soon we’ll be able to move entirely to what’s called ‘zero waste,’” Ruben said, “meaning no trashcans in the store because everything we hand to customers is compostable.”

Even now, he said, nearly everything, including coffee cups made from corn, is recyclable.

“Believe it or not, what’s standing in our way is the hot lids,” he said. “The only product that EcoProducts, which does all of our compostable cups, doesn’t have is the hot lids, and on April 1, they’re coming out with them.”

Not only are the cups at Blue State Coffee more eco-friendly, Ruben said. They cost no more than the kind that usually get thrown in the trash.

“I think, especially in New Haven, the customer base is such that people do care,” he said. “They’re conscientious about the products they’re eating and drinking from, and so I think this is a kind of advantage we have.”

Ruben said he hopes other coffee shops begin following Blue State’s lead.

“From my perspective, I want every coffee store to do this,” he said. “You would be shocked how much waste a coffee store can generate that doesn’t do it.”

From its inception, Ruben’s company has been as much about ideals as about carving competitive niches. In New Haven, Blue State will donate 5 percent of sales to “local progressive causes.” Customers will vote on how much money goes to a particular cause. The four nonprofits currently on the ballot are LEAP, CitySeed, ShelterNow and Dwight Hall.

Christine Bartlett-Josie, a volunteer director for LEAP, was in line for the free Liberty Blend Thursday. She called the support a welcome surprise.

“They called us,” she said, “and said they were looking at organizations in New Haven, and every time they talked to somebody that would say, ‘LEAP, LEAP, LEAP.’ It’s nice to know.”

Blue State Coffee started with a high school sophomore’s frustration with the results of the 2004 election. Ruben, now 20 and a sophomore at Yale University, said his anger at the failure of young people to get out the vote was the inspiration for a store where customers now vote with their wallets.

“My dad and I were in a coffee store in Wallingford, talking about politics. I looked up at the menu board and saw a $5 latte and thought, ‘Why not combine that latte with politics? Why not make a coffee shop with a political agenda?’”

What started as a simple website is now a thriving small business with two additional locations in Providence, R.I., Ruben said the New Haven location will not be the last.

“I think for the time being Cambridge and New York are next, and past that I think California is a great, great market for us.”

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Posted by: Edward_H | February 13, 2009 11:52 AM

How is the coffee though?

Posted by: nfjanette | February 13, 2009 12:14 PM

"I think, especially in New Haven, the customer base is such that people do care," he said. "They're conscientious about the products they're eating and drinking from, and so I think this is a kind of advantage we have."

The Restaurant Ahimsa on Chapel Street was, I believe, the pioneer establishment about two years ago to make a sweeping policy regarding the use of whatever eco-friendly products were available.

Posted by: jay | February 13, 2009 12:35 PM

thanks Blue State --- and thanks to Ahimsa too. I haven't been to Blue State.... yet !! But I have been to Ahimsa and I LOVE it !!!

Posted by: jawbone | February 13, 2009 1:46 PM

Edward-H,
My thoughts exactly! First priority if you want to stay in business is to brew a decent cup of coffee.

Posted by: East Rockette | February 13, 2009 4:45 PM

So the trashcan will be replaced by a compost bin, rather than simply disappearing, yes? Great idea! And presumably a recycling bin for the paper waste that comes with the food.

I'm still curious. Obviously biodegradable cups are a useful green answer for those who get their coffee "to go," (although carrying your own mug is an even better solution, if we can remember to).

But what's the calculus on which is greener for those who drink their coffee on-site: corn-based biodegradable cups that presumably are made somewhere else and transported using fossil fuels -- or reusable china mugs, cleaned by a machine?

Maybe it's much of a muchness, ecologically and financially? I'd love to know. Even so, I prefer to drink my beverages from real crockery...

The coffee is yummy, by the way. To my amateur taste-buds anyway.

Posted by: debra | February 13, 2009 5:54 PM

I had a capp there and thought it was terrible coffee.

Posted by: student | February 14, 2009 12:27 PM

i know you're busy with the opening, but you might try being a little more customer friendly. i've had two bad experiences and won't be back any time soon.

Posted by: Student | February 15, 2009 4:36 PM

Also had a bad experience. Hopefully Dad doesn't shell out more money to open another store for this young liberal.

Posted by: Lance | February 16, 2009 6:27 AM

Speaking of compost, how come Bass hasn't reported from his backyard lately?

Posted by: East Rockette | February 16, 2009 1:04 PM

Guys, can you elaborate on your bad customer experiences? I'm usually sensitive to that stuff (hello, looking at you, The Study@Yale) but have only had positive experiences at Blue State so far.

Posted by: ryan | February 16, 2009 1:57 PM

well, if the coffee is as hot as the co-owner ... damn!

Posted by: steve ross, drinker of black coffees | February 17, 2009 9:47 AM

I've been to the place a few times and have had great, if nerve wracked, experiences. I think they need to find their niche as far as the coffee goes (flanked by Publick Cup's selection and the sheer force of nature that is Willoughby's, I don't envy them), but the flavor is potent, the space is large, the bathrooms are private, and it's tucked away in a cool place on Wall Street.

Donating to a worthy cause while serving my gluttonous addiction to caffeine is a good (and in its presentation, gimmicky) thing. Plus, I'm a big fan of both Ben's and Danny B.'s sick skills.

Java Hits New Eco-Heights

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